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Arctic CO2 Levels Highest in 800,000 Years

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photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

CO2 measurements across the Arctic recorded a milestone value of 400 parts per million (ppm), for the first time in 800,000 years. Can you imagine what this means to the planet, to us and to our children’s future?

In the pre-industrial era (before 1750) the concentration was about 280 ppm, and fairly recently the number hit the 395 ppm value. That was a time when it was considered critical and a big sign that we should stop emitting CO2 or otherwise it’ll rise further. Remember, the industrial revolution was kickstarted by Watt’s steam engine, powered by the almighty coal.

Places like Alaska, Greenland, Norway and Iceland, where the measurements had been taken, have to little vegetation to effectively absorb the CO2. Chris Field, from IPCC said that “we’re in a different world.” And boy, is he right.

When I first started this blog more than 4 years ago, I thought optimism could eventually bring us on the right track in what concerns climate change. I thought technology can really make a difference and that we can still undo the bad we’ve done so far. However, from time to time, some piece of news ruins my expectations and optimism. Badly.

But I’ll still keep walking and preaching the things I believe in until the lights go out.

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