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Happy 400 ppm!
Carbon dioxide concentrations have hit 400 parts per million for the first time in human history. Some historical perspective is in order.
Here is the last 300 years:
And here is the last 800,000 years:
Make sure your poison ivy thanks you.
4 comments:
And that'sssss ... bad?
Jack
Yes, it's bad. Assuming that humans have made a significant contribution to this increase, and seeing that we are doing little to reduce our emissions, the trend will likely increase. This will lead to increases in temperatures. That in turn will affect yields of crops and global sea levels, among other things.
Sure in the US we have more advanced agricultural methods, but elsewhere in the world where millions die every year from starvation, these mothods are non-existant. It will compoun the hunger problem for many.
If the sea were to rise a meter, hundreds of millions of people would be displaced.
We should seek to take care of each other as humans, no matter where in the world we live. To knowingly contribute to climate change and do nothing to better our situation is wrong.
Where millions are starving the *right* thing to do is feed them. Climate change (for better or worse) will have little effect on those situations where governments are corrupt.
As for rising sea levels, if they do rise by a meter or so it will likely occur over a lengthy period of time -- long enough that the "displacement" will be experienced as a long-term migration of sorts spanning many generations.
Jack
I'm not saying we shouldn't feed those people. We should.
I agree that a migration would happen, but it will be very costly in terms of infrastructure, residences, etc. That is a cost that could potentially be avoided.
As to your comment that climate change will have little effect on those governments, why is that relevant? Regardless of the effect it has on them, we should still put forth an effort to contribute less to climate change.
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