Apocalypse Via Press Release

Today a team of scientists offer a new way of thinking about the environmental fix we're in. In the words of one of the scientists, we're driving around on a mesa in the dark with the lights off and without a map. We may fall off the edge of the mesa before we realize where the edge was.

The scientists argue for a safe operating space for the planet, which they propose should be bounded by limits on the carbon dioxide in the air and other factors. That way, we'll stay away from dangerous...