4 Triangulating the problem

Anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide are predicted to double in the next 50 years, from 7 Gt per year to 14 Gt per year. But to in order to prevent catastrophic global warming we must attempt to maintain our emissions at a flat level. To put this challenge into perspective, the Carbon Mitigation Initiative at Princeton University has come up with a visual representation – the "stabilization triangle". The triangle is divided into seven "wedges" each of which will save 1 Gt per year by 2055. Different strategies can then be compared by how many wedges they would contribute. For example, one wedge would be saved by either doubling the efficiency of all the world's cars, installing 700 times the current capacity of solar power, or capturing and storing CO₂ from 800 coal-fired power stations. Image: Robert Socolow, CMI, Princeton University

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