Months ago I quit posting atmospheric carbon dioxide counts. An environmentalist I knew told me no one cares. Well, I care.
Carbon dioxide -- CO2 -- at parts per million (ppm) in our air hit a daily average of 415 ppm in May. That was the highest known content in 800,000 years. CO2 can be measured in air bubbles trapped in Antarctic ice. That is how the history such an extensive history is known.
Today, Aug. 11, the count is 410.61. CO2 is seasonal. During the growth season in the northern hemisphere the number shrinks because trees and other vegetation are taking CO2 out of the air as they feed and grow. As the growth season retreats, CO2 counts will once again rise.
The measurement numbers I use come from Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, high on a mountain there. It is so located to access air clean of pollutants. The measurements are taken by scientists of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Carbon dioxide captures and hold heat. That is one of its constants, something no one can question. Holding heat is a physical property of CO2.
It makes sense to me that if the air holds more CO2 it holds more heat. Forgive the obvious, but there are people who believe, or at least will say, that our weather is just that -- weather. Weather changes. Hotter days are to be expected.
On average, world-wide, June was the hottest month in recorded history (since 1880).
Look at it this way: Climate is the driver. Weather is the passenger. Weather goes where climate takes it. We are well down a very bumpy road. We are in trouble. Birds are in worse trouble. They have fewer choices, and they depend on us.
