The document discusses the critical state of carbon emissions and their impact on climate change, emphasizing that current CO2 levels have reached historical highs. It highlights the imbalance in Earth's natural systems' capacity to absorb emissions and the urgent need for a transition to a low-carbon economy. The Climate Institute aims for a sustainable future by advocating for reduced carbon footprints and addressing global warming through international cooperation.

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“Humanity has never been here before. The atmosphere hasn‟t seen CO2
this high for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years. Climate
scientists say the rise of heat-trapping greenhouse gases is already putting
weather systems on steroids, with substantial human and economic costs
now in evidence. We are in dangerous and uncharted territory, with little
time to ensure a safe and sustainable future.”
John Connor
CEO, The Climate Institute
Carbon 101
This presentation summarises Carbon 101, a primer explaining carbon and why it matters. It was initially released in July
2012 and was updated in May 2013 as the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere approached a record daily
average of 400 parts per million; a level not seen in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years.
The Climate Institute is an independent research organisation. Its vision is for a resilient Australia, prospering in a zero-
carbon global economy, participating fully and fairly in international climate change solutions.
May 2013

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Depending on how you look at it, carbon
can be good or bad. It occurs naturally – in
fact human bodies contain carbon. But it is
also emitted from industrial action.
Here when we talk about carbon we mean
the emissions of greenhouse gases,
particularly carbon dioxide (CO2).
What is carbon?

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What is carbon?
Carbon is the sixth most abundant
element in the universe.
There are nearly ten million known carbon
compounds and an entire branch of
chemistry, organic chemistry, is devoted to
their study. Renowned for its ability to stitch
living things together, carbon has earnt its
nickname as the ‘duct tape of life’.

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Carbon makes up
18% of human
bodyweight.
Trees in Australia’s native
forests are natural stores of
about 660 billion tonnes of
carbon.
A one-carat diamond can
be considered a single
huge molecule consisting
of 1022 carbon atoms.
The basics

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A 90-tonne whale contains
approximately 9 tonnes of
carbon.
100% of life on Earth contains
carbon compounds.
There is 50 times more
carbon in the ocean than
in the air.
The basics

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Most of Earth’s carbon,
about 65,500 billion tonnes,
is stored in rocks.
Nearly 60% of decomposed
organic matter in soil is
carbon.
Carbon is the sixth most
abundant element in the
universe.
The basics

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An element whose atoms
easily attach to other atoms
to become the basis of all
living organisms. Also
shorthand for carbon
dioxide (CO2) and other
greenhouse gases.
A colourless greenhouse
gas that traps heat in the
Earth’s atmosphere, formed
by respiration or the
combustion of carbon.
Other greenhouse gases
are often converted to CO2
equivalents (CO2-e).
CO2 and other greenhouse
gases released by humans
which accumulate in the air,
trap heat, and raise the
average global temperature,
upsetting the natural
balance.
Carbon Jargon

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Carbon Jargon
A term used to describe a
future global economy
where economic activity
produces zero net carbon
emissions.
The amount of GDP
produced per unit of carbon
pollution emitted.
A country or company’s
level of readiness to
prosper in a low-carbon
global economy.

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Buying and selling carbon
permits in a market.
The right to emit carbon
pollution, measured
in tonnes.
A monetary cost on carbon
pollution, intended to
stimulate investment in
clean energy, energy
efficiency and other low-
carbon technologies.
Carbon Jargon

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Carbon, the way we view it, measure it,
control it and price it has come to dominate
debates of all kinds.
So, what’s all the fuss about?
The Problem

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CO2 is emitted when oxygen and carbon are combined –either by nature via
living organisms through respiration and decomposition – or when humans
burn fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil.
Rising emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are
altering the Earth’s atmosphere and changing the global climate.
Atmospheric CO2 levels are already 40 per cent higher than before the
Industrial Revolution.
If carbon emissions continue to rise, the average global temperature will
increase at a speed not seen since the end of the last Ice Age.
The Problem

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Current concentrations of carbon dioxide - near 400 parts per million (ppm) –
are higher than they’ve been in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years.
Scientists associate 400 ppm with the Pliocene epoch, from about 3 to 5 million
years ago, when the world was 3 C warmer, the seas 25 metres higher, and
the Greenland ice sheet was impermanent.
A multitude of stakeholders are now looking at carbon: scientists, economists,
companies, governments and communities.
With billions of people living on an already resource-constrained planet, a
changing climate puts at risk farming and food supply, cities and coastal
communities, and our very way of life.
The Problem

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Where does good carbon go bad?
A System out of Balance. Earth’s natural systems are only able to absorb
approximately 50% of our current annual CO2 emissions.

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The Imbalance
We need to better understand the carbon cycle, to slow
certain processes so specific gases don’t build up in excess
in the air, and find ways to reduce the amount already
released. It is an issue of management.

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The international community has set a goal to stabilise concentrations of CO2
and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that aims to keep
global warming to below 2ºC.
Only 20-40% of global known fossil fuel reserves can be burnt if we are to have
a reasonable chance of meeting this goal.
Just like housing price bubbles, we have a carbon bubble with potentially
unsellable carbon assets on the books of our companies.
Addressing the challenge

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What is the carbon bubble?
Australia is facing a carbon bubble.
Just as sub-prime investments were
based on assumptions of permanently
rising house prices, carbon bubble or
‘sub-clime’, investments assume
relentless demand for fossil fuels.
If the world acts to limit temperature
rise to 2ºC, investments in Australian
coal that may seem sound at the
moment could easily turn into stranded
assets that cannot be sold.
Australian coal against the global
carbon budget for coal.

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Questions of fairness are central to climate change. If only a limited amount of
CO2 can be released in the atmosphere, who has the right to emit it?
Quick Facts
+ The average Australian produces four times more CO2 can the average global
citizen.
+ A citizen of Kiribati, a small Pacific island nation, produces 1/16th of the global
average.
+ An Australian or American produces 64 times time amount of someone from
Kiribati, and three times more than a Chinese person.
What is fair?

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What is fair?

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In a high-carbon economy, carbon
emissions have been coupled to
economic growth, whilst future
generations and the environment are
largely excluded from the equation.
The pursuit of short-term growth at
any cost is neither sustainable nor fair.
We need to factor in the finite nature
of our natural resources and the real
cost of carbon pollution.
Our future should hold a new low and
then zero carbon prosperity.
Where do we go from here?

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“Because it‟s in our national interest to avoid further dangerous warming,
Australia joined the US, China and over 170 other countries to commit to avoid
a 2 C warming. We have no time to lose.
As we change the chemical make-up of the atmosphere, we are pushing up the
average global temperature. Reaching 400 part per million is one more clear
alarm bell which we ignore at great risk, because, when it comes to extreme
weather and climate impacts, „we ain‟t seen nothing yet‟!”
John Connor
CEO, The Climate Institute
Conclusion

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Additional Resources
To download The Climate Institute‟s Carbon 101 explainer or listen to the podcast with
Dr Graeme Pearman and Andrew Demetriou visit…
http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/carbon-101.html
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