GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — When carbon and oxygen come together they form the colorless, odorless gas we all know as carbon dioxide. Levels of that heat-trapping gas are at a record high.
People often say you can't have too much of a good thing, but in the case of Carbon Dioxide there absolutely can be. Without carbon dioxide earth's average temperature would actually be below freezing, but too much of it can and has caused rapid warming. This is because carbon dioxide is a gas that absorbs and releases heat. So, the more CO2 we pump into the atmosphere the warmer our planet becomes.
We are able to look back at 800,000 years of CO2 levels on earth using ice core data. Above, you can see the spike that we see in carbon dioxide in just the last 100 years. This, of course, goes hand-in-hand with the industrial revolution, really locking in human's undeniable influence on our changing climate.
Here you see as carbon dioxide levels climb higher so do our temperatures. We know earth's temperatures are 2.1°F above pre-industrial temperatures.
The most alarming part of all of this is despite us knowing that humans are the reason for this unnatural jump in carbon dioxide levels, NOAA reported last week that as we near our annual peal, a record high level of CO2 is being recorded. CO2 levels come in at 421 ppm up from 417 ppm last year.
We saw CO2 levels drop about 7% in early 2020, meaning the reversal of these impacts is possible. Although, as restrictions and lockdowns ended, emissions returned to normal. That normal will not help in our fight against our rapidly changing climate and the impacts that come along with that.
It's never too late. Cutting our carbon footprint is key to slowing the trend. This can be done by increased renewable energy, energy-efficient transportation, and agriculture, and by committing to more sustainable practices.
From renewable energy and energy efficiency to cleaner transportation and agriculture, sustainable practices are ready for use.
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