One of my ur-texts on climate change is Bill McKibben's article, 'Global Warming's Terrifying New Math,' from the August 2, 2012, issue of 'Rolling Stone':
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-math-20120719?print=true
Basically, McKibben says that if we want to stay within a 2-degree Celsius rise in global temperature (a questionable goal in itself), we can burn no more than about 565 gigatons of fossil fuels. However, the reserves of various fossil fuel companies are about 2800 gigatons. To quote the article:
'Which is exactly why this new number, 2,795 gigatons, is such a big deal. Think of two degrees Celsius as the legal drinking limit – equivalent to the 0.08 blood-alcohol level below which you might get away with driving home. The 565 gigatons is how many drinks you could have and still stay below that limit – the six beers, say, you might consume in an evening. And the 2,795 gigatons? That's the three 12-packs the fossil-fuel industry has on the table, already opened and ready to pour.'
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