2008 global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and some industrial processes (million metric tons of CO2).  Credit: US EPA

2008 global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and some industrial processes (million metric tons of CO2).
Credit: US EPA

The term “snowball effect” is an unfortunate way to describe climate change, but a new study is predicting just that.

Climate scientists warn that by 2050, an astonishing 55 trillion kilograms of carbon could be released into the atmosphere from the soil. To put things in perspective, that’s the emissions equivalent of adding another United States to the planet. And, like a rapidly tumbling snowball, more emissions mean more warming, and more warming means… well, you get it.

Of course, this nightmare scenario hinges on our inability to curb carbon emissions—a fate that’s become significantly more realistic with Donald Trump, a vocal climate change denier and coal aficionado, about to enter the White House. Our failure to meet the goals mandated by the Paris Agreement would result in “about 17 percent more than […]

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