• rekabis@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    the atmospheric CO2 is still rising due to emissions from previous decades.

    Tell me you don’t understand atmospheric CO2 without saying you don’t understand it.

    Atmospheric CO2 represents the immediate, real-time, zero-delay composition of the atmosphere. As in, the current value is what currently exists.

    And an acceleration curve in that value means that CO2 production is still increasing. if the curve is curving up, more CO2 is being released today than had been released yesterday.

    https://lemmy.ca/pictrs/image/f46a3bf9-388a-4cac-92ff-0604e402c291.png

    Once that curve points downwards over more than a year or so, then I will become cautiously optimistic. Until then, I will not submit myself to counterproductive hopium.

    • BrightCandle@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      There is a slight complexity to this as methane breaks down into CO2 over a period of about 20 years, in the meantime it contributes a higher warming effect. But there is a measure called CO2e which is the equivalent including the other green house gases and it too has been accelerating so it doesn’t change the point its just there are some prior emission impacts on current CO2 in the atmosphere.

      • rekabis@lemmy.ca
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        2 months ago

        and it too has been accelerating so it doesn’t change the point its just there are some prior emission impacts

        Say you don’t understand emissions measuring without actually saying you don’t understand emissions measuring.

        Past emissions only place emissions up to a value. Current emissions are what determine whether our emissions output is continuing to accelerate, or are actually slowing down.

        And yesterday’s emissions continue to be smaller than today’s emissions. That is why it’s called accelerating emissions.