NOAA Carbon Dioxide Scientist Admits Despite Efforts, No Drop in Global Carbon Dioxide Levels

In a sobering admission to the Australian Broadcasting Company, NOAA scientist Pieter Tans, who is in charge of tracking Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in Earth’s atmosphere, said there has been no slowdown despite years of efforts.

He admitted in the interview, “…if you’re measuring the atmosphere, you’re not seeing anything happening right now in terms of change.”.

Excerpts from the article:

Climate scientists warn of increased climate change events as carbon emissions fail to drop

Posted Sat 4 Jun 2022 at 11:47am

Emissions across the globe continue to rise despite nations committing to cut them.

Key points:

    • The pandemic cut global carbon emissions in 2020, but they rebounded last year.
    • Scientists say carbon dioxide levels are now about the same as in the Pliocene era, when temperatures were 3.9C warmer.
    • May is the peak for global carbon dioxide emissions.

Scientists are warning of increased climate change events including heat waves, flooding and droughts if carbon emissions are not cut.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said its long-time monitoring station at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, averaged 421 parts per million of carbon dioxide for the month of May, which is when the crucial greenhouse gas hits its yearly high.

“The world is trying to reduce emissions, and you just don’t see it,” said NOAA climate scientist Pieter Tans.

“In other words, if you’re measuring the atmosphere, you’re not seeing anything happening right now in terms of change.”

The slowdown from the pandemic did cut global carbon emissions a bit in 2020, but they rebounded last year.

Both changes were small compared to how much carbon dioxide is pumped into the atmosphere each year, especially considering that carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere hundreds to a thousand years, Mr Tans said.

SOURCE: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-04/carbon-dioxide-emissions-hold-firm/101126312

Clearly, the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns barely made a dent in atmospheric CO2, as seen in the figure below.

Source: Scripps Oceanographic Institute: https://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/

During the pandemic, there was a near total global shutdown of vehicle use, air travel, and a significant portion of industry. This reduction in processes that created CO2, barely dented global actual CO2 atmospheric concentrations, if at all.

The other interesting point is that CO2 levels today are now at ~ 421 parts per million (ppm), which is at least 1.5x pre-industrial levels (421 / 280 = 1.5).

Despite the increases in atmospheric CO2, where are the claimed superstorms and mega droughts? Climate alarmists keep promising something scary will happen if we don’t act now, but so far the only noticeable impact of all this added atmospheric CO2 is a slight rise in global temperature, which according to the Potsdam Institute, might have prevented the start of a new ice age. The extra atmospheric CO2 is also producing a benefit; a measurable greening of the Earth.

As we have regularly pointed out at Climate Realism (here, here, and here, for example), there are benefits to the mild increase in CO2 and temperature over the past century, yet that seems to be regularly ignored.

Unfortunately, media, gullible politicians, and climate alarmists, continue to cling to climate models that even their scientific colleagues suggest are producing implausible results.

Models projecting a grim future aren’t science, but rather a reflection of the mindset that pervades the climate-political complex.

Anthony Watts
Anthony Watts
Anthony Watts is a senior fellow for environment and climate at The Heartland Institute. Watts has been in the weather business both in front of, and behind the camera as an on-air television meteorologist since 1978, and currently does daily radio forecasts. He has created weather graphics presentation systems for television, specialized weather instrumentation, as well as co-authored peer-reviewed papers on climate issues. He operates the most viewed website in the world on climate, the award-winning website wattsupwiththat.com.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. “increased climate change events” = “normal weather we claim is unusual because we ignore the historic record”

  2. Plants and farms everywhere are celebrating!

    Apr 26, 2016 Rising CO2 Levels Greening Earth by NASA Goddard

    From a quarter to half of Earth’s vegetated lands has shown significant greening over the last 35 years largely due to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change on April 25. The greening represents an increase in leaves on plants and trees equivalent in area to two times the continental United States.

    https://youtu.be/zOwHT8yS1XI

  3. Y’all oughta do a piece on the temperature range of an exo-solar planet scientists are looking for for the future of the human race – they’re looking for a planet about 5 degrees, C, warmer – greener, more food crop productivity, less extreme weather events… … Kinda makes you wonder, if they are “following the science,” which science are the following?

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