Climate Code Red: the case for emergency action

Revealing extensive scientific evidence that the global warming crisis is far worse than officially indicated, this meticulously documented call-to-action argues that the planet is almost at the point of no return. From large ice sheets disintegrating and devastating losses of species to the promise that sea levels will rise more than 16 feet this century, this study shows that it is no longer a case of how much more can be “safely” emitted but whether emissions can be stopped completely before the Earth’s climate is beyond human restoration. Demonstrating that these imperatives are incompatible with politics and a "business as usual" attitude, this survey illustrates how the environment faces a sustainability emergency that urgently requires a clear break from failure-inducing compromise.

David Spratt is a climate policy analyst and cofounder of Carbon Equity, which advocates personal carbon allowances as the most fair and equitable means of rapidly reducing carbon emissions. He has extensive advocacy experience in the peace movement and in developing community campaign communication and marketing strategies. Philip Sutton is the convener of the Greenleap Strategic Institute, a nonprofit environmental strategy think tank and advisory organization promoting the achievement of global and local ecological sustainability. He is the founder and director of strategy for Green Innovations, the architect of the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, and a former president of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics.