What 51 years of CO2 monitoring can tell us…

A research site at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, is an excellent indicator of the trends found in the concentration of CO2 in the troposphere, the part of the atmosphere that accounts for most of our day to day weather. It is not disturbed by any local influence such as vegetation or human activity and so is effective in determining global trends. This site, at an elevation 3397m (11,145 ft) is also the location of the longest continuous data, recorded for CO2 concentration in the world, beginning in 1959.

The concentration climbed from 315.98 ppm (parts per million) in 1959 to 385.34 ppm in 2008. This number accounts for the natural CO2 cycle that ebbs and flows with the natural absorption of CO2 through photosynthesis, but also measures man’s influence historically on the health of our planet. The trend in concentration is increasing an average of 1.4 ppm annually!

When I came across this data I was stunned how clearly and rapidly we are poisoning ourselves. What does it mean? It means that we need to look beyond political boundaries. It means we all need to take a part of the responsibility, and become active in any way possible to reverse this trend.

Why should this issue be anything but a need for all of us to act on behalf of the planet, and do anything we can as individuals to change the course of our own destruction?