2°C

Multiple changes are occurring simultaneously around the globe at an increasing pace. Energy and resource scarcities have emerged or intensified. Different trade regimes have evolved. New communication and information technologies have exploded into daily life. New human health issues have appeared, and old health issues have, in some cases, been exacerbated. Changes in global climate and associated patterns of extreme weather events must be added to this list, especially for the global poor whose very livelihoods depend directly in many instances on the use of specific natural resources.

The figure of 2° Celsius has derived from looking into what might occur if the levels of carbon di-oxide in the atmosphere were doubled from what they were pre-industrially. 2° Celsius has subsequently become the globally understood and uniform figure of representing the term ‘Dangerous Climate Change’. In 1900 carbon di-oxide existed in the atmosphere at 280 parts per million and today levels have reached 560 parts per million, which has been held responsible for a 0.8° Celsius rise in our global temperature with a 1.5° Celsius rise already built into our climate backlog. This photographic project seeks to identify the opinions of some of the most influential scientists and correspondents working within the UK, whom are analyzing data in relevance to human induced carbon emissions. The work looks into their unfamiliar environments and looks to identify them as more than statistical hideaways. It also directly shows their opinion on the time that we have left to stop carbon di-oxide levels raising temperatures beyond 2° Celsius and causing ‘Dangerous Climate Change’.

Brendan Berry – Photographer ©