Stern by the numbers
The level in the atmosphere of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas, stood at 280 parts per million by volume (ppm) before the Industrial Revolution, in about 1780. The level of CO2 in the atmosphere today stands at 382ppmIf the above doesn't move you to look back on the stolen 2000 election as possibly the beginning of the end then you might want to read the list again.£200bn, or 1 per cent of global GDP, must be spent every year to get carbon dioxide levels to "stabilise" at 550ppm.
This figure will rise as world GDP increases, and could be three to four times as large by 2050
40 per cent of the world's species would face extinction if temperatures rose by 2C
200 million people are at risk of being driven from their homes by flood or drought by 2050
6C is a "plausible" estimate of how much world temperatures could rise by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions are unchecked
60 million more Africans could be exposed to malaria if world temperatures rise by 2C
35 per cent drop in crop yields across Africa and the Middle East is expected if temperatures rise by 3C
200 million more people could be exposed to hunger if world temperatures rise by 2C
550 million more people could be at risk of hunger if world temperatures rise by 3C
4 million square kilometres of land, home to one-twentieth of the world's population, is threatened by floods from melting glaciers
35,000 Europeans died in the 2003 heatwave, an event likely to become "commonplace"
4 billion people could suffer from water shortage if temperatures rise by 2C
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