LI, Minqi. 445-490 ppm CO2-e, plus 2-2.4C and tipping points "leading to massive catastrophes that could wipe out most of the species on earth”

Minqi Li (a Chinese political economist, world-systems analyst, and historical social scientist, currently an associate professor of Economics at the University of Utah, and known as an advocate of the Chinese New Left and a Marxian economist) (2008): “According to models adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), if atmospheric CO2-equivalent rises to 445-90 ppm, then the global average temperature is likely to rise to 2-2.4 degrees above the pre-industrial level (IPCC, 2007c). With an increase of 2 degrees, there will be widespread crop failures, drought, desertification, and flooding throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America, and Australia. Of plant and animal species, 15-40 percent are likely to go extinct. But more importantly, a 2-degree warming will constitute “a dangerous anthropogenic interference” as it will initiate a series of climate feedbacks that are likely to take the earth beyond a set of “tipping points”. Beyond these tipping points, global warming will become a self-sustaining process out of human control, leading to massive catastrophes that could wipe out most of the species on earth” (Minqi Li, “The rise of China and the demise of the capitalist world economy”, Monthly Review Press, New York, 2008; page 183).

[Editor’s note: the IPCC Summary argues for a limitation of temperature rise to 2^oC through limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution of the atmosphere to 450 ppm CO₂-equivalent but hard evidence says that we have already reached 478 ppm CO₂-equivalent (see Ron Prinn, “400 ppm CO2? Add other GHGs and its equivalent to 478 ppm”, Oceans at MIT, 6 June 2013: http://oceans.mit.edu/featured-stories/5-questions-mits-ron-prinn-400-ppm-threshold ; Gideon Polya, “International consensus-based IPCC Summary For Policymakers (2014) downplays acute seriousness of Climate Crisis”, Countercurrents, 12 November, 2014: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya121114.htm )].