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Tag: fossil fuels

Published on Leave a comment on Record High Levels of Carbon Dioxide In Our Atmosphere

The US government would like to shut the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii down because it measures levels of atmospheric CO2, a measure of climate change. Well, unlike the US government, the rest of the world is very, very concerned about increasing CO2 levels in our atmosphere, and what increasing levels of greenhouse gases are doing to our climate and environment.

The United Nation's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) does not hesitate to loudly announce that CO2 levels are steadily rising, with record high levels in 2024, and what this means for our world going forward. Their words: it's "turbocharging our climate and leading to more extreme weather".

The important thing to know is that CO2 levels keep increasing, and each year new record high levels are set. Highest ever levels were in 2024. A big reason CO2 levels are increasing is due to the burning of fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal). The increase in wildfires is also contributing.

Excerpts from New Scientist: CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere jumped by a record amount in 2024

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels jumped by a record amount in 2024 to push concentrations to their highest point since measurements began, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported.

Between 2023 and 2024, the global average concentration of CO2 surged by 3.5 parts per million (ppm) to reach 423.9 ppm, the WMO has said. This is the largest increase since modern measurements started in 1957 and is well in excess of the 2022 to 2023 increase of 2.3 ppm. ...continue reading "Record High Levels of Carbon Dioxide In Our Atmosphere"

Published on Leave a comment on The Two Hottest Days On Earth Were This Week

Uh-oh. The Earth is really warming up, and very rapidly. Sunday was the hottest day recorded globally. But then... Monday was even hotter! This means that in the space of several days, two global records were set in two days.

And it will continue to get warmer (hotter) in the coming months and years. We do know what is causing this climate change of increased global warmth - it's the burning of fossil fuels (e.g., gas, oil, coal). The big question - can humans change their ways?

From The New York Times, the Climate Newsletter: Earth’s Hottest Days Ever

Twice this week, global temperatures broke records, but scientists are more concerned about a longer-term pattern of hotter weather.

This past Sunday was the warmest single day ever recorded, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union-funded research organization. That is, until Monday, when global temperatures inched up a bit more. Then Monday became the hottest day in modern history, with an average global temperature of 17.16 Celsius or 62.88 Fahrenheit. Tuesday was almost as hot. ...continue reading "The Two Hottest Days On Earth Were This Week"