05-13-2008, 08:49 PM
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Recovering republican
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Userid: 396 Location: California
Posts: 1,168
Rep Power: 2
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World carbon dioxide levels highest for 650,000 years, says US report
you know... It's amazing what the scientists who are NOT corporate shills have to say about the state of our environment.
Quote:
World carbon dioxide levels highest for 650,000 years, says US report
· Rise in chief greenhouse gas worse than feared
· Earth may be losing ability to absorb CO2, say scientists
David Adam, environment correspondent The Guardian,
Tuesday May 13 2008
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached a record high, according to the latest figures, renewing fears that climate change could begin to slide out of control.
Scientists at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii say that CO2 levels in the atmosphere now stand at 387 parts per million (ppm), up almost 40% since the industrial revolution and the highest for at least the last 650,000 years.
The figures, published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on its website, also confirm that carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected. The annual mean growth rate for 2007 was 2.14ppm - the fourth year in the last six to see an annual rise greater than 2ppm. From 1970 to 2000, the concentration rose by about 1.5ppm each year, but since 2000 the annual rise has leapt to an average 2.1ppm.
Scientists say the shift could indicate that the Earth is losing its natural ability to soak up billions of tonnes of CO2 each year. Climate models assume that about half our future emissions will be reabsorbed by forests and oceans, but the new figures confirm this may be too optimistic. If more of our carbon pollution stays in the atmosphere, it means emissions will have to be cut by more than is currently projected to prevent dangerous levels of global warming.
...snip
A study last year suggested that the recent surge in atmospheric CO2 levels was down to three processes: growth in the world economy, heavy use of coal in China, and a weakening of natural "sinks", forests, seas and soils that absorb carbon. The scientists said the increase was 35% larger than they expected.
...snip
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Well... I hope y'all are ready for a wild ride... cuz I fear we are due for one...
Larger than expected rises... more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than has been there for 650,000 years... this does not bode well for our civilization, such as it is... nay, this does not bode well at all...
Got uhhhh, spaceship? |