It’s five minutes to midnight
Pictured is the history of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, since 1958. This is known as the Keeling Curve and is essential evidence of increases in greenhouse gases caused by human activity, the cause of global heating.
The longest such record exists at Mauna Loa, but these measurements have been independently confirmed at many other sites around the world. The annual fluctuation of carbon dioxide is caused by seasonal variations in how much plants absorb: since there is more forest in the northern hemisphere, more carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere during the northern hemisphere summer than the southern hemisphere’s. This annual cycle is shown in the inset figure by taking the average amount for each month in all years measured. The red curve shows the average monthly amounts, and the blue curve is the general trend.
Mauna Loa Observatory’s reports that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing faster than ever is very worrying. It is an ominous sign of the failure of our efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, and thus, the damage they cause to our planet’s climate.
Contrary to the absurdly simplistic claims that “carbon dioxide is a good gas” because plants absorb it, the reality is that more and more of it is being trapped in the atmosphere…
