We are just running one big-@ss experiment with our planet's dynamic system, raising the CO2 way faster than any geologic record indicates it ever has before. Basically, saying “I wonder what this button does?” And then holding it down. We know that CO2 and temps and ocean Ph correlate, maybe weakly but possibly strongly with an intolerably high probability.
Humans have a long history of failing to take the long view, so I don't expect us to do much about this other than burn baby burn. As noted above, most of the carbon offset stuff is just a feel-good story.
We are going to find out what happens when you dump CO2 into the atmosphere at a quantity not seen in tens of millions of years, and at a rate never seen.
The
PETM is the best analogy we have, and it doesn’t bode well.