Professor Mojib Latif chairs Germany's DKK climate research consortium, whose 23 member institutions provide wide-ranging advice to governments and the public on what needs to be done to avert climate change. This year's worldwide total carbon dioxide gas emissions amount to 41 billion tons. Scientists warn that the Earth's atmosphere can only absorb another 1,000 billion tons before the future climate warming will exceed 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 F) above the global preindustrial average. DW's Ian Johnson spoke with the professor about a world stuck a "lifeboat" as the global carbon absorption capacity dwindles.