In CtoC-CC news today, two articles reported in the China Daily to bring to your attention.

The first reports on a new study hypothesizing the exact date of the "the point of no return" with regards to global warming: About ten years.

"The countdown to climate-change catastrophe is spelt out by a task force of senior politicians, business leaders and academics."

...

"In the report, the task force calls not only on G8 countries but also on all of the world's large economies, including China and India, to take drastic action to reduce climate change."

...

"The report says the danger point will be signalled when temperatures rise by 2 degrees centigrade above the average world temperature prevailing in 1750.

But it points out that global average temperature has already risen by 0.8 degrees since then, with more rises already in the pipeline - so the world has little more than a single degree of temperature latitude before the crucial point is reached, the paper said.

The consequences of such a rise could include widespread agricultural failure, water shortages and major droughts, increased disease, sea-level rise and the death of forests.

The researchers calculated the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere after which the 2-degree rise will become inevitable, and say it will be 400 parts per million by volume (ppm) of CO2. The current level is 379ppm, and rising by more than 2ppm annually - so it is likely that the 400ppm threshold will be crossed in just 10 years."

Have a look see at the article here.

The second article reports that climate change was responsible for mass extinctions that killed 75% of land species.

"Global warming was to blame for the mass extinction of species 250 million years ago and not an asteroid impact, an international team of researchers reports in the latest issue of Science magazine.

Paleontologists concluded that the disappearance of 90 per cent of all marine species and 75 per cent of land plants and animals at the boundary between the Permian and Triasic periods was caused by atmospheric warming because of greenhouse gases triggered by erupting volcanoes.

Have a look see at the article here.

Best not to make any long-term plans for life as we known.