2.1 million-year high measured for CO2 in atmosphere

[GliderGuider]

2.1 million-year high measured for CO2 in atmosphere

Carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere has risen to its highest level in at least 2.1 million years, according to a new investigation of the greenhouse gas’s role in ice ages over the millennia.

Researchers including Columbia University’s Baerbel Hoenisch drilled into the ocean floor off the coast of Africa to remove shells of ancient marine animals called foraminifera that contain climate records, according to the study published today on Science’s Web site. Previous evidence of CO2 concentrations found in columns of Arctic ice go back just 800,000 years.

The CO2 concentration ranged between 181 and 297 parts per million over the period studied. It may be necessary to go back as far as 2.7 million years to find levels of CO2 similar to today’s (ed.: about 385 ppm), the study concluded, without attributing reasons for previous surges.

If the world continues to burn coal and oil and cut down forests that store carbon, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere may more than double to 900 parts per million in the next century, the UN’s Environment Programme Executive Director Achim Steiner has said.

Damn scientists, always looking for more grant money.

[pscot]

1. In the last 10 years

auto makers have produced 500 million cars. Collectively those cars dump 4.5 trillion pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. In the not-too-distant past, all that carbon was safely underground, where it could do no harm.

[vinylsolution]

2. Are we doomed?

I always had high hopes that we might try to save ourselves.... but it looks like we've gone way beyond the tipping point.

Future generations will despise us for clinging onto our lazy, greedy, 20th century lifestyles.

[tom_paine]

3. USA!!11!1! USA!!11!1! USA!!11!1! We're #1! We're #1! We're #1!

We can get it higher if we try hard! Most in 2.1 million years? That's NOTHING! Let's go for most since the Carboniferous Era! We can do it!

Yes we can!

:rofl:

[Dead_Parrot]

4. Science? Meh. nt