I just read Bill McKibben's article in Rolling Stone (2012 July 19): Global Warming's Terrifying New Math. According to Bill, fossil fuel companies have proven fuel reserves that would release 2795 gigatons of CO2 into the atmosphere were it all to be burned. That's a huge problem because Bill also says that scientists estimate that any chance of keeping global warming within tolerable limits requires that we add no more than 565 gigatons of CO2 to the atmosphere by 2050.
If fossil fuel companies are determined to sell (and we are willing to buy) all of that carbon, the climate and civilization don't stand a chance.
Can we stop the Big Burn before it's too late?
