The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that in 2021 atmospheric levels of methane, the second largest contributor to human-caused global warming, had increased by a record amount for the second straight year and that carbon dioxide continues to rise at a high rate.
NOAA’s preliminary analysis showed the annual increase in atmospheric methane during 2021 was 17 parts per billion (ppb), the largest annual increase recorded since systematic measurements began in 1983. The increase during 2020 was 15.3 ppb. Atmospheric methane levels averaged 1,895.7 ppb during 2021, or around 162% greater than pre-industrial levels. From NOAA’s observations, scientists estimate global methane emissions in 2021 are 15% higher than the 1984-2006 period.
Meanwhile, levels of carbon dioxide also continue to increase at historically high rates. The global surface average for carbon dioxide during 2021 was 414.7 parts per million (ppm), which is an increase of 2.66 ppm over the 2020 average. This marks the 10th consecutive year that carbon dioxide increased by more than 2 parts per million, which represents the fastest sustained rate of increase in the 63 years since monitoring began.
“Our data show that global emissions continue to move in the wrong direction at a rapid pace,” said Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator. “The evidence is consistent, alarming and undeniable. We need to build a Climate Ready Nation to adapt for what’s already here and prepare for what’s to come. At the same time, we can no longer afford to delay urgent and effective action needed to address the cause of the problem — greenhouse gas pollution.”
While there’s been scientific debate on the cause of the ongoing surge in methane levels, carbon dioxide pollution has always been the primary driver of human-caused climate change. An estimated 36 billion tons of carbon dioxide were emitted into the atmosphere last year by human activity; roughly 640 million tons of methane were emitted during the same period. The atmospheric residence time of methane is approximately nine years, whereas some of the carbon dioxide emitted today will continue to warm the planet for thousands of years.
[...] “The effect of carbon dioxide emissions is cumulative,” said Pieter Tans, senior scientist with the Global Monitoring Laboratory. “About 40% of the Ford Model T emissions from 1911 are still in the air today. We’re halfway to doubling the abundance of carbon dioxide that was in the atmosphere at the start of the Industrial Revolution.”
[...] Observations sustained over many decades, by NOAA and others, show that the rate of carbon dioxide increase has tracked global emissions. Despite international pledges to reduce emissions, climate scientists have seen no measurable progress in reducing greenhouse gas pollution.
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @01:36AM
I love sex with clowns. I love it when they hide the balloon animal in my rectum.
I love sex with senior citizens. If you're in your twenties I really recommend it.
They are everywhere and they are so surprised when you ask for their phone number.
Don't knock it until you've tried it!
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @01:49AM
I love to rip off the end of a banana and squeeze the fruit inside all the way out.
Next, I warm it up in the microwave for a bit until it is nice and warm, nice and slippery!
Then I slide my
into the empty banana peel and go to town!
It feels so good to ejaculate into a banana.
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @02:56AM (18 children)
They keep saying that, as if people will change if they repeat it one more time...
Quit the pearl clutching and put your house up on stilts if you're near the beach, replace your car with jet skis or a kayak if you ride a bicycle, move to the tropics where it's already warm, hurricanes really aren't a big deal
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @04:36AM
Gots mine. Who said we're not on board with climate action?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Sunday April 10 2022, @10:19PM (16 children)
Great! Now, what's your plan when ice sheet collapse and the consequent sea level rise forces millions to find new homes, utterly overwhelm your local police forces, and you and all your neighbors each get several dozen hungry families on your respective doorsteps demanding that you all share your food and homes with them? Oh, and your dog that you kept in your back yard? It was delicious!
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @11:44PM
RWNJ wet dream! They finally get to shoot some poor people.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11 2022, @03:21AM (2 children)
Well, since we already set that in motion, the best we can do is start finding those homes before the sea levels rise, or build an ark. If you wait until disaster strikes, it will only be that much worse, so, get to it
And.. that is not my dog
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday April 11 2022, @05:01PM (1 child)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11 2022, @05:58PM
Shaggy wears a Scooby-doo T-shirt
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11 2022, @09:39AM
It's a generational change, not your next election/news cycle change.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Monday April 11 2022, @11:58AM (10 children)
When all of Florida ends up underwater, the Florida residents can just sell their homes and buy new ones. At least according to the right-wing commentators who insist that there's nothing to worry about. Because according to them, the real estate market for homes 5 feet underwater is apparently much hotter than an ignorant fool like myself could ever understand.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday April 11 2022, @05:07PM (9 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11 2022, @07:26PM (8 children)
Contamination is a problem, it's just not our problem, it's something for the grandkids to handle, so don't worry, be happy
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday April 11 2022, @07:49PM (7 children)
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11 2022, @08:19PM (1 child)
Hahhahahahah
now that is rich, khallow complaining about low effort arguments
thing is it is trivially obvious, climate change and pollution are real, anyone can read the various reports on the environment, yet you complain about a "think of the children" comment. that only works when "think of the children" is the only defense, not when there are mountains of evidence showing the problems are real.
we're sorry the sea level isn't rising fast enough for you to take seriously, or that the pollution issues aren't YOUR problems.
yer a sociopath hallow!
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday April 12 2022, @01:27AM
Well, I have read various reports on the environment and I notice that what concrete things they actually provide evidence for are pretty tame. This is indeed a "think of the children" comment.
Well, that is a big part of the flaw with your argument. Sea level really isn't rising fast enough for me.
Pollution issues aren't for the most part developed world problems, with or without climate change. It's time to wonder why that happens.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11 2022, @09:28PM (3 children)
What "disagreement"? I'm agreeing with you! Fuck climate change, it's not our problem, therefore it's not a problem..
(Score: 2, Interesting) by khallow on Tuesday April 12 2022, @01:30AM (2 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 12 2022, @04:04AM (1 child)
The climate change hysteria is designed to distract people from that list of things, but poverty is a secondary effect, and in fact, corruption is the direct cause of all those other things. And we are not overpopulated yet, there's plenty of space that we can make habitable and arable
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday April 12 2022, @01:00PM
Overpopulation is not a bit we set. We can make more land habitable and arable, but it has increasing costs to us and the environment. The problem as I see it, is that we need that plenty of land to provide habitat for the other organisms on Earth.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 13 2022, @02:05AM
Hypothetical, you say? What would a sterile libertarian teen know about progeny, and inter-generational responsibility? Iroquois Law, consider the ramifications for the next seven generations. You are a selfish individualist twat, khallow.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Barenflimski on Sunday April 10 2022, @04:09AM (1 child)
Fart taxes are the only way.
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @10:41AM
The Nic-O-Lok company song...
It's a Penny for a fart,
A Nickel for a piss.
Dime, if you got to use the toy-let!
----
"A penny for your thoughts"-Tavares
(Score: 4, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @06:15AM (2 children)
are at an all-time high. Scientists and reseachers are searching for a connection. One commented: "I've analysed the data over and over and I just can't find a correlation. The data stinks."
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @09:10AM (1 child)
I think we all know whose recent journal is responsible for this.
aristarchus
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @11:05AM
Nope!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @10:38AM (4 children)
Cows. And cows give us steak, so this is an intractable problem. Get used to it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @10:53AM (1 child)
Anaerobically rotting organic matter produces copious amounts of methane.
Compost heaps if they are not frequently turned.
Old men's tummies. Vegetarians. The Congress of the United States.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @02:22PM
Don't forget Runaway.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @09:53PM (1 child)
I want a lab-grown steak!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11 2022, @11:26AM
Have you ever tried getting a cow into a lab? Only feasible if the building has an elevator, and then you're still left with the problem of cow manure on the lab floor.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @03:20PM
nice measurment, however it would prolly be simpler to just say that more fossile fuel was "produced" (or liberated). obviously this stuff doesn't change hands for free so there's this thing called "a paper trail" (or increaed profits). so like 2004 was at 40 million bpd. 2019 was sumething like 99 million bpd.
unless the tanks in fukushima are just a cover to store oil secretly, there's prolly not one drop of oil liberated in 2004 still in existance today. it all went *accelerate to red-light and BRAKE!* or vrooom-pffft!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 10 2022, @07:18PM
The colder our supposed middle-of-spring is, and the higher the price of heating, the more people think any real warming is a good thing for them.
The care-about-problems-in-the-TV-meter does turn all the way down, when you and your own family are freezing your arses off.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday April 11 2022, @03:24PM (2 children)
TFA:
Well, that's a relief. We're finally getting the Earth back to its normal climate after far too long a cold snap. China and India can snap up Siberia, and America can anschluss Canada. Everything will be fine.
Seriously, though, I thought the main driver for increasing methane was the methane clathrates in the oceans off-gassing. On land methane is produced by all kinds of life, be it swamps, cattle, or buffalo grazing on pristine prairie land, meaning, it's a wash as far as human activity is concerned.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday April 11 2022, @05:34PM
Per usual when it comes to GHGs human s produce most of the methane
We wouldn't be tracking them in the first place if they were already in equilibrium!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11 2022, @08:17PM
Yeesh, how easily you make sweeping statements about human activity when the facts so strongly disagree. Human activity has dramatically increased the population of cows, to just quickly pop your bubble, but you don't even consider all the industrial activity humans engage in that releases methane. Shame!