Atmospheric CO2 Trend On Track To Match Early Eocene

[hatrack]

BOULDER, Colo., Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Over the next century, if the current trend continues, Earth is going to see climate conditions that have not existed in hundreds -- and perhaps thousands -- of millennia. The outcome of this trend will shape the future not only of homo sapiens, but many other species with which we share the planet. Even if all nations undertake aggressive measures -- and even if those measures are successful -- atmospheric carbon dioxide levels will stabilize at somewhere above 400 parts per million. Without any restrictions, CO2 levels in the atmosphere will reach 1,000 ppm.

"This is an experiment that hasn't been done in a long time," said Dan Schrag, professor of geochemistry at Harvard University. "Atmospheric CO2 has never been higher than 300 ppm in the last 400,000 years, and probably not in the last 30 million years," he said.

EDIT

Historically, a CO2 concentration of 450 ppm does not hearken back to the Medieval Warm Period, an age of climate warming that occurred about 1,000 years ago and is the current favorite of some skeptics to demonstrate humans can adapt easily to modest warming. The last time atmospheric CO2 rose above 450 ppm was about 55 million years ago, at the beginning of the Eocene, not so long after the disappearance of the dinosaurs.

At that time, according to the National Academy of Sciences report, "The Effects of Past Global Change," the mean annual temperature at the North Pole was about 55 degrees F. There were broad-leafed evergreens, including palm trees, in Greenland, Siberia and as far north as today's Point Barrow, Alaska. Global sea level was near its maximum. In the southern hemisphere, there were pine forests in Antarctica. Eastern Antarctica had a warm, semi-arid climate and there was a major and sudden oceanic warming."

EDIT

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040223-123449-3591r

[ochazuke]

1. Ironic Response #427

Are you trying to distract us from the danger of two gays getting hitched across the street?

[hatrack]

2. God forbid! We must not rest until the VILE THREAT of GAY MARRIAGE ends!

There's simply no question facing humanity that could possibly be of greater importance - with possible exceptions for an amendment forbidding burning the American flag, and Janet Jackson's right tit.

[Viking12]

3. What about Scott Peterson??

and Michael Jackson? Geez, you guys with all your doom and gloom should really pat more attention to what really matters. :)

[ramapo]

4. It didn't take very long did it?

Millions of years in creating, just decades to ruin.

I think it is fair to say that most of the environmental damage has been done over the past 100 years. While there have been some improvments since 1970, I'd also say that we've continued to inflict far more damage than if the initial surge of the early '70s to modify direction had continued as oppossed to seeing environmental policy become a whipping post of the Republican and Corporate powers (but with plenty of help from the Democrats).

Today we're faced with a myriad of problems. The North Pole ice cap is disappearing as climate change takes hold above the Artic Circle. The massive ice shelves in Antartica are breaking apart.

Earth's population has doubled in about 35 years. Population in the US has increased about 50% in the same time. Energy usage has increased. We went from a small car mentality (albeit forced) in the early '70s to mindlessly driving massive behemoths.

Sprawl is destroying habitats throughout our country and the world.

Food is more manufactured than grown.

Worst of all is that I see the situation as out of control. Americans don't want to give up anything. The rest of the world wants to be more like America.

Political leaders lack the courage to lead the way to change. This is just what you'd expect as our leaders are a reflection of the people they lead. Just like Bush twists or ignores science, so do most of our population (ignore especially).

For all that Americans have accomplished, we are a stupid and reactive civilization. We can see a train speeding down the track but don't believe that we have to get out of the way until we've been splattered across the front of the engine.