Fast Facts on Climate Change

Back to Resources
First published on

Be Very Afraid: Climate Change by the Numbers

• Current level of CO2 in atmosphere: 385 parts per million
• Current rate of increase annually: 2 ppm
• Stabilization level needed to avoid “catastrophic effects,” according to climate scientist James Hansen: 350 ppm
• Stabilization level if all industrialized countries followed President Bush’s climate goal: 615 ppm
• UN estimate of industrialized countries’ greenhouse gas emission cuts needed by 2020 to avoid “dangerous” climate change: 25-40%
• UN estimate of industrialized countries’ emission cuts needed by 2050: 80-95%
• International Energy Agency estimate of US emissions increase from 1990 to 2025: 38%
• Temperature increase from pre-industrial levels at which “catastrophic effects” occur according to climate scientist James Hansen: 1.7ºC
• Projected long term temperature increase from pre-industrial levels resulting from President Bush’s climate goal: 4.5-6ºC
• Temperature increase from pre-industrial levels at which UN warns 40-70% of all species will be at increased risk of extinction: 4.2ºC

Damming the CDM

Hydro projects in the CDM pipeline as of 1 April 2008:
• Number of projects: 828
• Number of large hydros (defined in CDM as 15 MW or above): 384
• Annual revenues to hydro developers if all credits issued (@$20/credit): $1.55 billion
• Number of projects approved by the CDM: 169
• Number of large hydros approved by the CDM: 51
• Largest hydro in the CDM pipeline: 1,020 MW (Tala Dam, Bhutan)

CDM hydro projects in China as of 1 April 2008:
• Number of projects: 542
• Number of large hydros: 280
• Percentage of all CDM hydros: 65%
• Annual revenues to Chinese developers if all credits issued (@$20/credit): $1.1 billion
• Largest hydro in the CDM pipeline: 500 MW (Zhexi Dam expansion)

Sources include:

James Hansen et al. (2008) “Target Atmospheric
CO2-Where Should Humanity Aim?”

Spreadsheet of Hydro Projects in the
CDM Project Pipeline
,” prepared by Ben Docker