The Guardian: World CO2 levels reach record high, scientists warn

[arenean]

From The Guardian (UK):

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached a record high, according to new figures that renew 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 (NOAA) 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 past 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 tons of carbon each year. Climate models assume that about half our future emissions will be re-absorbed 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 currently projected to prevent dangerous levels of global warming. Martin Parry, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's working group on impacts, said: "Despite all the talk, the situation is getting worse. Levels of greenhouse gases continue to rise in the atmosphere and the rate of that rise is accelerating. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change and the scale of those impacts will also accelerate, until we decide to do something about it."

[GliderGuider]

1. Every time you read the phrase "faster than expected" you have to take a drink

"carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected.
:beer:

"carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected.
:beer:

"carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected.
:beer:

"carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected.
:beer:

"carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected.
:beer:

"carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected.
:beer:

"carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected.
:beer:

"carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected.
:beer:

etc.

[Dead_Parrot]

2. Do we win a prize when we hit 400? nt

[hatrack]

3. "No one could have forseen continuing increases in atmospheric CO2."

Right?

Right?

[Zodiak]

4. 350 parts per million was the cut-off before the cascade

This has long been a scientific consensus, and now we have reached it and surpassed it as fast as we possibly could.

There is no going back....

Get this in your heads....THERE IS NO GOING BACK. You could stop driving cars now and it won't make one bit of difference...we have pushed our greenhouse gasses to the point where our permafrost has melted, and our oceans are saturated. The permafrost holds tons and tons of methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

As a society, we were warned by the scientific community LONG ago about this, and what was the political answer? "You guys are pushing an agenda", "Bunch of eggheads think they know it all" etc.

Scientists are CONSERVATIVE in their estimates...not the other way around, as you would expect from someone pushing an agenda. Scientists do not want to be treated as alarmists and charlatans, so they try their best to only say what the data will allow them to say.

And we have ignored them until the tipping point has been passed, so this will continue. We cannot put the methane back into the permafrost. It is over.

Short of a technological miracle that can pull tons and tons of carbon-based emissions from the atmosphere, we are fucked, and all of this talk about reducing emissions to avoid the worst of it is wishful thinking at best. I hate to be so pessimistic, but when people think they can politicize the findings of science, this is what happens.

We ignored our scientists for the critical period in which we were supposed to listen.

[kristopher]

5. "350 parts per million was the cut-off before the cascade"

That's not true. The fact is that is a result of a deliberate alarmist tactic that Hansen started advocating for last year. He is trying to fight the right with misinformation tactics similar to their own. I think it is a piss-poor strategy that has the potential to backfire is a very big way.

Scientists are reluctant to be specific because they can't be specific, there is too much information lacking.