Climate facts

Oil poisons our air, water, land ...

and climate.

Heat-trapping CO2, the largest driver of global warming, has doubled from human fossil fuel use to levels not seen in over 400,000 years. Impacts already experienced include:

• Heating the atmosphere and ocean (over 90% of excess heat is going into the ocean);
• Melting sea ice, ice sheets, and glaciers;
• Rising sea level;
• Extreme weather including more powerful storms, drought, record heat, and wildfires.

Sources: IPCC, 2013: Summary for Policymakers, page 4; NOAA Vostok ice core and Mauna Loa data; NASA photo.

Over 90% of excess heat is going into the ocean.

Sources: NOAA NODC data; NOAA-NASA GOES Project photo of Hurricane Sandy 10/29/12.

Summer Arctic sea ice volume has dropped by over 2/3 since 1979.

Sources: Polar Science Center data; U.S. FWS photo.


The CO2 emissions path the world is on (red line) is heading far beyond the critical 2 degrees C rise (blue line) and must peak and begin falling soon.

U.S. (15% of world in 2012) and European CO2 emissions are falling slightly, but Chinese (29%), Indian (6%), and other emissions are still rising rapidly. Although second now, the U.S. has the greatest cumulative and per-capita emissions.

Sources: Global Carbon Project 2013, figures 21 and 12.

Transportation is the second-highest U.S. emissions sector, and largest in states like California with less coal-fired electricity.

Source: U.S. EPA data.

Climate Disruption resources

• IPCC
• NASA Global Climate Change
• California Climate Change Just the Facts
• Skeptical Science
• Climate Progress