THE TWO SCENARIOS played out above, which show increasing temperatures in the US until the year 2100, are projections made by NASA scientists, based on factors like population growth, economic development, and the current levels of commitment to sustainability around the world. The first is what would happen if we manage to cut back on our greenhouse gas emissions. The second is what would happen if we continue on our current path — a continued increase in those emissions.
To put this into some context, according to livescience.com,”the average American emits about 20 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year,” which if condensed into solid form would weigh as much as two large male African elephants. Globally, the average emission per person is 4 metric tons per year, about the size of one baby elephant.
There’s no better time than now to cut back on those elephants.