Misleading reporting on CO2 emissions

On the 5th December I published a post on this blog: Some of my thoughts on COP 21 – Keep it simple.

I’ll now just repeat below one of these particular thoughts which I had on the role of the media.

We must all now accept that atmospheric global warming is definitely caused by CO2, and we must get the media on-side and persuade them that their daily reporting of the world stock markets is not nearly as important as a daily update of the Keeling Curve which shows the CO2 levels and is published daily in co2.earth. Increases in world stock markets will only speed us down the Road to Armageddon, but a daily showing of the Keeling Curve will keep us informed as to whether we are making progress in saving this much abused planet of ours or not.

atmoo co2

(Image: CO2.Earth)

Although the owner is not one of my favourite persons, I take the Sunday Times every week, and on Sunday 7 December, the large bold front page headline read – Revealed: greenhouse gases to fall. Just to be sure I was keeping abreast of Global Warming developments, I went into co2now.org and got the hot off the press month of November graph which I show on the right.

 

Daily CO2                        

December 6, 2015  401.18 ppm
December 6, 2014  398.20 ppm
Average ppm of CO2 in atmosphere each November from 1978 to 2015
Year Nov Increase from previous year
2015 400.16 2.89
2014 397.27 2.16
2013 395.11 2.3
2012 392.81 2.57
2011 390.24 1.59
2010 388.65 2.65
2009 386 1.87
2008 384.13 1.71
2007 382.42 2.24
2006 380.18 1.89
2005 378.29 2.36
2004 375.93 1.29
2003 374.64 2.44
2002 372.2 2.51
2001 369.69 1.36
2000 368.33 1.65
1999 366.68 1.16
1998 365.52 3.08
1997 362.44 1.6
1996 360.84 1.44
1995 359.4 1.84
1994 357.56 2.16
1993 355.4 1.13
1992 354.27 0.48
1991 353.79 0.74
1990 353.05 1.61
1989 351.44 1.29
1988 350.15 2.19
1987 347.96 2.1
1986 345.86 1.46
1985 344.4 1.34
1984 343.06 1.53
1983 341.53 2.05
1982 339.48 0.89
1981 338.59 1.38
1980 337.21 1.95
1979 335.26 1.5
1978 333.76 1.41
1977 332.35 2.17
1976 330.18 0.85
1975 329.33 0.99
1974 328.34 0.18
1973 328.16 1.66
1972 326.5 1.7
1971 324.8 0.82
1970 323.98 1.13
1969 322.85 1.54
1968 321.31 0.59
1967 320.72 0.93
1966 319.79 0.92
1965 318.87 1.08
1964 317.79 0.67
1963 317.12 0.43
1962 316.69 0.59
1961 316.1 1.1
1960 315 0.2
1959 314.8 1.47

It’s not the emissions that are the problem, it’s the amount of these emissions that finish up in the atmosphere. It’s also impossible to accurately measure the emissions, but we can and do measure accurately the CO2 in the atmosphere, and from the table above you can see that we’re certainly not on or even near a plateau. I believe that the Sunday Times headline and comment was at best a mistake and at worst – a piece of very bad reporting.


 – See co2.earth website for current and informative climate measurements on Earth