Tag Archives: Carbon Dioxide

Carbon Dioxide Levels are Increasing Yearly

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Carbon dioxide has a heavy impact on the atmosphere of the Earth and is proven to affect climate change, global warming, and the ecosystems for the future. With the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, this is an issue to the energy imbalance which leads to the Earth’s temperature to increase; global warming. Due to human interactions and human life, there will always be carbon dioxide being released in different forms into the atmosphere, but there needs to be a way to reduce this amount of carbon dioxide for the wellbeing of the human population and the earth. If it continues to rise with the amounts of carbon dioxide, the human population and the land we inhabit will be in trouble due to temperature and destruction. What can be attested to this rise of earth’s temperature is the burning of fossil fuels: coal, oil, and gas, that all release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. This has been studied heavily and due to the amounts of greenhouse gasses being pushed yearly, this is not normal or necessary. In a USA Today article reporting on the carbon dioxide emissions it states, “In the past 20 years, the world’s temperature has risen about two-thirds of a degree Fahrenheit,” which may not seem impactful, but this constant rising of temperatures will be detrimental without changes being made. Just hearing that global carbon dioxide emissions have reached the highest level in history, should be alarming and should incite awareness and sustainability ideas. To preserve the environment we live in and increase recycling, renewable energy sources, and reducing emission is crucial. As the world shifts back to a “normal society” after recovering from Covid-19, there needs to be a change from the Pre-Cvoid Era where human population abused the amount of fossil fuel use. There needs to be an alternative to burning coal in order to have factories, cars, and businesses be run. Coal has been the issue of 40% of the overall global carbon dioxide emissions in 2021. One idea we can look toward is electric car batteries and also the rise in use of solar panels.

 

Works Cited

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/03/08/global-carbon-dioxide-emissions-soar/9429433002/

Are they worth it? Electric cars and individual carbon emissions

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Globally the temperature of the earth is increasing, these rising temperatures have been mainly caused by the emissions of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Changes need to be made both on a government and individual level to hinder the effects of climate change. More than 30% of carbon emissions come from transportation via, car, bus, and airplane one of the best ways that an individual can combat this is to purchase an electric car (EPA, 2021). The New York State Energy Research and Development Agency has out a free estimation survey, where one can put in the type of electric car and it will give you the cost and benefits of purchasing the car. When looking at an average 30,000 dollar electric car in Central New York, within the first year one would save $966 this was found by calculating the cost of gasoline ($1,243) that you would save minus the increase in your electric bill which would be around $277 to charge your car. In New York, you also get a minimum of 8,500 dollars in incentives which includes a $7,500 Plug-in vehicle federal tax credit plus a $1,000 with the Drive Clean Rebate. When looking at the cost and benefits in the future, within the first 5 years it shows that an electric car would save up to $7,867 and you would break even with the cost of the car within two years. Along with having long-term financial benefits owning an electric car reduces an individual carbon footprint by 58% per year which is equivalent to 5,977 lb of CO2. This survey is a great day to find a car that fits your budget and lifestyle while also helping you lower your carbon footprint. Cost benefits analysts are an important factor when it comes to the effectiveness of environmental action.

Survey: https://nyserda.wattplan.com/ev/

 

Work Cited:

EPA (2021) Carbon Pollution from Transportation

https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/carbon-pollution-transportation

NYSERDA (n.d) Watt Plan, Access on 4/3

https://nyserda.wattplan.com/ev/Results

 

Carbon Dioxide and its Influence

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When it comes to greenhouse gases and the presence of them in our environment, there is quite a large variety of different kinds of greenhouse gases. Just to name a few greenhouse gases, there is methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor and more. Nevertheless, the most important greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is not only a gas. Depending on different temperatures, carbon dioxide can also be in the solid or a gas form. It is important to note that carbon dioxide does not come from just one particular entity. For example, carbon dioxide is breathed out by humans. Furthermore, carbon dioxide is produced after burning fossil fuels. As humans, we all have different responses to carbon dioxide based on our own specific tolerance. One’s tolerance depends on the amount of carbon dioxide present, which is measured using mathematics along with units and numbers.  Reactions to an exposure of carbon dioxide can vary from headaches to convulsions or even a coma. Thanks to basic human activity, there has been a drastic rise in the presence of carbon dioxide, as we know thanks to scientists measurements in which numbers and units were used. The starting point for the steep rise in carbon dioxide producing, human activity, can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution. Although human activity is practically unavoidable, carbon dioxide’s presence must be modified in order to keep us, along with our Earth, safe.

Works Cited:

“Carbon Dioxide.” Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 3 June 2021, https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/chemical/carbondioxide.htm.

“Carbon Dioxide Concentration.” NASA, NASA, 15 Mar. 2022, https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/.

The pandemic’s affect on Carbon Dioxide Emission

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The pandemic brought forth by Covid-19 caused much change and hardship.  However, not every change that the world underwent in regards to the pandemic was bad.  Due to the decreased levels of travel that occurred from the pandemic, CO2 emissions fell by 5.4% in 2020.  In the United States alone, the 4.58 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide produced in 2020 was an 11% decrease from the previous year.  The decrease in the US was also due largely to the decrease in transportation seen both in the US and throughout the world.  Since the transportation sector is the biggest contributor to CO2 emissions in the US since 2016, this 11% decrease is a welcome change.   The drastically decreased amount of man-made pollution in the air appears as a positive from the outside.  However, despite the sudden 5.4% drop in CO2 emissions, the growth in atmospheric concentrations remained within the year to year variation caused by natural processes according to NASA.  This is due largely to the fact that absorb as much CO2 as it had in previous years.

The dip seen in reported levels of CO2 emissions was however temporary and the CO2 emission levels have bounced back up.  The 5.4% decrease reported during the early stages of the pandemic was still short of the necessary 7.6% yearly reduction estimated by the United Nations Environment Programme.  Even with the world at a standstill during the early months of the pandemic, the required decrease of CO2 emissions estimated to be necessary were still not met.  These decreased levels of CO2 have now rebounded due to the reopening of many sectors and the world is back on the same trajectory it had been on prior to the pandemic.

 

Works cited

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/emission-reductions-from-pandemic-had-unexpected-effects-on-atmosphere

https://www.statista.com/statistics/183943/us-carbon-dioxide-emissions-from-1999/

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00090-3

On Current CO2 Emissions

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Thinking about units, numbers, and measurement of CO2 led me to think about current CO2 emissions, and especially how much we would have to decrease them by and when. According to the Presidential Climate Action Project, “In order to stabilize CO2 concentrations at about 450 ppm by 2050, global emissions would have to decline by about 60% by 2050. Industrialized countries greenhouse gas emissions would have to decline by about 80% by 2050.”(There are a lot of really good numbers and statistics in this document, and they’re all stated very clearly, so I urge everyone to check out the link above.) Basically, to only stabilize CO2 concentrations(not even decrease them!) we would have to globally reduce CO2 emissions by 60%.  In 2020, according to the Global Carbon Project, 36.4 billion tonnes of carbon were emitted. To cut back by 60% globally, we would have to go from 36.4 billion tonnes of carbon per year to 14.56 billion tonnes of carbon per year, if my math is correct. Emissions haven’t been that low since 1970, according to the Global Carbon Project chart I previously linked. Definitely a big step to take in just 28 years!

Carbon Dioxide and its effects on Coral Reefs

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Carbon Dioxide is a powerful greenhouse gas that has been at the center of political discussions surrounding Climate Change. As humans release more CO2 into the atmosphere, the “Greenhouse Effect” causes the earth’s temperature to rise, having devastating consequences for life on earth. While much of the CO2 stays in the atmosphere, a huge amount of the gas is absorbed into our oceans. This has terrible consequences for life on the seas. Coral Reefs have taken the brunt of this damage. Coral Reefs are dying at an increasing rate. This is a major problem because “Coral reefs specifically contribute to more than half of the oxygen our planet relies on, and these are vanishing at an unprecedented rate” (Gannon). This will have terrible consequences for other forms of life, as well as for humans. Unbelievably, “Over 2,838,240 acres of coral reef are lost every year, totaling an area 10x the size of New York City” (Gannon). This is a terrifying figure. Regardless of whether people want to admit that this is going to have terrible consequences for humans, it will. Human beings need to come to the realization that as a global community, we need to figure out a way to reduce the amount of CO2 being released into the atmosphere.

 

Works Cited:

https://reefrevive.org/reefcrisis?gclid=CjwKCAjwi6WSBhA-EiwA6Niok3YkXou-JfFjIx84rGg6gZneWHDNWg3uVi8sPbKLgT9G9IlEY3fyBxoCjMkQAvD_BwE

 

 

Carbon dioxide’s impact on climate change

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Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes greatly to the Earth’s temperature to rise, therefore heavily impacting climate change. Carbon dioxide is also known to react with water molecules which fluctuates the ocean’s pH level. The drop in pHI in the oceans, known as ocean acidification, has lowered from 8.21 to 8.10 since the Industrial Revolution. This is a significant change because a change of o:1 in pH indicates a 30% increase in acidity of the oceans. Another impact carbon dioxide has on the climate is through atmospheric carbon levels. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were estimated to be 412.5 parts per million in 2020. The global atmospheric carbon dioxide level has increased by 12% over the past 20 years. The present day levels of carbon dioxide are higher than they have been in 3 million years when conditions were hugely different in terms of the sea level and the regular temperature of the globe. The reason that the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are so high today is due to the burning of fossil fuels that are returning carbon to the atmosphere at a higher rate that makes it increasingly difficult for the atmosphere to remove all of the carbon through its natural processes alone. This amount of carbon dioxide warms the Earth and contributes to other greater factors that are putting the Earth at risk. Atmospheric carbon dioxide may exceed goo parts per million by the end of this century if global energy demands continue at the rate they are going at or even increase.

Works Cited:

https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide

Climate Change Due to Increase of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

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Carbon dioxide (measured in parts per million or ppm) is a greenhouse gas that impacts the heat regulation of the Earth, impacting the climate change that we see today. The increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide is specifically responsible for about two thirds of the Earth’s rising temperatures and energy imbalance, contributing to the change in global climate patterns also known as climate change. Certain human activities like driving a car emit carbon dioxide. Additionally the usage of fossil fuels emits large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air which traps heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic decreasing people’s activity (especially during the heights of the pandemic where many people were not traveling by plane or car) and the economic slowdown, the global level of carbon dioxide hit a new record high in 2020 of 412.5 parts per million (ppm). Another concerning point is that humans are adding a lot more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than is naturally produced and can be accommodated for. The global growth rate or atmospheric carbon dioxide is now 2.3 ppm per year and is about 100 times faster than previous historical natural increases in carbon dioxide. According to these measurements, the human impact on the plant and the excessive amounts of carbon dioxide emissions are impacting climate change and the overall temperature and well being of Earth. There are ways for us to decrease carbon dioxide emissions such as carpooling, decreasing leisure flight usage and doing simple things such as turning off the lights. 13% of the greenhouse gas production (including carbon dioxide emissions) in the Unites States are from the production and transportation of food. So it is also important to eat local and organic food to help decrease the excessive carbon dioxide production. According to these articles, the production of carbon dioxide is rapidly increasing, but there are simple ways that we can all help decrease our carbon footprint (the total amount of greenhouse gases we produce from our actions) and help global climate change.

 

Citations:

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide

25+ Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Emissions

First Detection of Reduced Human Carbon Dioxide Emission

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There is a first for everything and for the first time researchers have found short-term regional fluctuations in atmospheric carbon dioxide worldwide due to emissions from human activities. Scientists used a combination of NASA satellites and atmospheric modeling to discover this change in Carbon Dioxide emissions. The study used data from NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 to measure drops in CO2 emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic from space.

A few earlier studies investigated the effects of lockdowns on the levels of Carbon Dioxide emissions early in the pandemic. The studies found that global levels dropped slightly in 2020. Nonetheless, by combining OCO-2’s high-resolution data with modeling and data analysis tools from NASA’s Goddard Earth Observing System the team was able to narrow down which monthly changes were due to human activity and which were due to natural causes at a regional scale. This is how they were able to conclude that some of the drops in Carbon Dioxide levels were caused by human activities. The article goes on to explain what Carbon Dioxide is, and how to notice slight changes in its level in the atmosphere.

References

Evans, Jessica Merzdorf. “First-of-Its-Kind Detection of Reduced Human Carbon Dioxide Emissions.” Phys.Org – News and Articles on Science and Technology, Phys.org, 1 Apr. 2022, https://phys.org/news/2022-04-first-of-its-kind-human-carbon-dioxide-emissions.html.