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The world's carbon-dioxide problem doesn't just affect the atmosphere — the gas is starting to fill our homes, schools, and offices, too.
Indoor levels of the gas are projected to climb so high, in fact, that they could cut people's ability to do complex cognitive tasks in half by the end of the century.
That prediction comes from three scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Pennsylvania, who presented their findings last week at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. The study is still under peer review but available online in the repository Earth ArXiv.
The findings show that, if global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions continue to rise on their current trajectory, the concentration of CO2 in the air could more than double by 2100. Based on measurements of how humans function in spaces with that much CO2, the scientists warn, we could find ourselves scoring 50% lower on measures of complex thought by the end of the century.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DrkShadow on Monday February 17 2020, @09:08AM (22 children)
Is this a massive failure of the HVAC? should we replace the furnace filters because there's no air throughput in the system? Is there a bird in the ventilation?
Seriously, why do these articles rely an an absolute failure of common sense to achieve their "projected" claims?
If indoor air quality starts to diminish significantly then the engineers and maintenance techs will _FIX_ the problem. Indoor air quality is currently _vastly_ better than when smoking was permitted in offices, and has only gotten better. If needed, and if isn't done currently, we'll swap indoor air with outdoor air more frequently and air-condition sufficiently to maintain temperature.
Surely you're not telling me that _outdoor_ air has reached poisonous levels.. (with the exception of LA.)
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Coward, Anonymous on Monday February 17 2020, @09:29AM (10 children)
Don't forget that indoor CO2 (1000 ppm or so) is hugely magnified by the very policies to reduce outdoor CO2 (420 ppm or so). Modern green buildings have sealed windows that can't be opened for fresh air, to reduce HVAC energy consumption.
(Score: 2) by Rich on Monday February 17 2020, @11:17AM (9 children)
Modern green buildings also have a forced ventilation system with heat exchanger. These come with all kinds of issues from own energy requirements to possible icing in winter (subterrean pre-warming is the key here), from filter change maintenance to plain MTBF - but fresh air is your least worry. Living climate is in fact much better than in buildings that only get occasionally ventilated through open windows.
Also, one could open the windows, they're just sealed good enough to pass a blower-door-test when closed.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Coward, Anonymous on Monday February 17 2020, @12:15PM (2 children)
How do you open a sealed window that has no mechanism?
(Score: 4, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 17 2020, @12:51PM
A rock.
(Score: 1) by wArlOrd on Monday February 17 2020, @07:35PM
The last time I needed to do it my desk chair worked well.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Monday February 17 2020, @01:24PM
No way, not when outside is worse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 5, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 17 2020, @01:38PM (4 children)
Not the way they're built around here. In the last 30 years the percentage of "fixed glass" installation has skyrocketed, while older windows mechanisms have been neglected and often "painted shut."
Homes 60+ years ago had excellent window opening/closing mechanisms - well balanced double sashes that opened and closed at a slight touch, casements (with admittedly maintenance hungry mechanisms) that would catch the breeze when it flowed perpendicular to the exterior wall. Even the awning windows had robust gears and hinges with intentional lubrication channels.
The advent of ubiquitous HVAC has put a severe downward pressure on the quality/durability of mass produced window opening mechanisms. Simple: they don't make 'em like they used to - at least around here. I have seen some really impressive modern units in Scandinavia / Northern Europe - might actually be worth the cost of importing if they ever figure out a good way to integrate insect screening.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 17 2020, @08:54PM (3 children)
Around here being America?
Around here, every office has a window that opens, never mind for houses. Every single pane window in my apartment opens. Every single one. The only exception is a 15cm wide addition next to one of the balcony doors. And as you may have guessed, this is not America here. I'm in Germany. Also, I can walk to store and live 20 minute slow walk from my work and pay USD$1000/mo for my apartment (3 rooms).
So yes, it may be understood that housing in America has gone the cheap route as people are generally allergic to outdoors, but America is not the world. Far from it. Vast majority of the world population breathes outdoor or close to outdoor air.
As for window mechanisms, you get what you pay for. If you want a "picture window", that's what you get. And you pay less for no mechanism and sealed existence.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 17 2020, @09:33PM
but, but how do you get your cancer then?
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday February 18 2020, @02:16AM
And I refer to not only Germany but all of Northern Europe and Scandinavia as having good opening window mechanisms with decent insulation properties I might add - but serious lack of insect screening most places.
Not per capita, no, but per net ton of CO2 emitted, we're an impressive #2 after China, and one could convincingly argue that the CO2 China emits on behalf of US consumers would swing the US to the #1 spot in the contest of CO2 emission shame.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Rich on Tuesday February 18 2020, @05:09PM
Sigh, I could have assumed that people who have a weird concept of "football" might also have a weird concept of "window"... ;)
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday February 17 2020, @01:22PM (10 children)
About 4 weeks or so ago, with those massive bush fires, happened that the office building HVAC have been slowed down being overloaded by the smoke outside [3aw.com.au]. The CO2 inside shoot up to 980ppm.
So, behave, or else will be sending that smoke in your direction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 17 2020, @01:41PM (9 children)
Scrubbers (rebreathers), face masks, SCUBA - Self Contained Urban Breathing Apparatus, building scale CO2 scrubbing and O2 concentrating, oxygen bars. Too early to invest, but they are all long term growth markets.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday February 17 2020, @01:47PM (8 children)
I prefer to telecommute from my glass house full of plants, thank you.
Cheaper and less harmful for the environ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 17 2020, @02:25PM (7 children)
When the sun goes down those plants churn out CO2 in your house... however, I, too prefer the telecommute and have not yet put the brakes on my wife's houseplant hobbsession.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday February 17 2020, @04:26PM (3 children)
Solar water heating and PV+storage+ keeps them producing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 17 2020, @08:50PM (2 children)
I really like the idea of solar panels powering LED grow lights in the house - I don't think the plants would appreciate having their day-night cycle erased, though.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday February 17 2020, @09:16PM (1 child)
Happens all the time in clean-rooms in Japan, they grow E. Coli free lettuce [google.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday February 18 2020, @02:09AM
True enough, and Alaska grows some record sized vegetables due to the long summer sun hours... Still doesn't "feel" right, but it can work well with a lot of species.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by captain normal on Monday February 17 2020, @05:13PM (2 children)
Makes me wonder if the CO2 levels in your office/house may be too high.
Me thinks you need a refresher course in Photosynthesis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis [wikipedia.org]
When life isn't going right, go left.
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 17 2020, @06:48PM (1 child)
The clue your looking for is cellular respiration. During the day it is offset by photosynthesis, and st night there is a net export of CO2 from the plants. It is a tiny amount, but the original joke holds up regardless.
Can you conservatives just go to school already? Science isn't like software, accuracy matters more than StackOverflow's goodnuff copy/paste.
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Wednesday February 19 2020, @12:44AM
That was a joke? Somehow I missed that. But the real joke is you thinking of me as a conservative. You don't seem to have paid any attention to my postings here for the last 6 years, have you? I truly believe in a social democracy much like my friends in Northern Europe (Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and now since fall of the Russian Empire, Estonia and Poland have. The only thing I disagree with in all the front running Democratic candidates is gun control. To me gun control is a tight groping at 200 meters.
When life isn't going right, go left.