Make Earth Great Again

Draft...

The Warming Stripes visualize the current state of Earth - simple and scientifically accurate. The graphic above even predicts what will happen as determined by global action or inaction. Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading called them "climate stripes" when he created them in 2018. The barcode message is clear, and the combustion of fossil fuels is the cause of global warming.

But there is more to this story, which I will get to after including a bit of the science describing how Earth got into this mess. It is a tale of greed for ever more wealth and power by just a few, exhibiting a complete lack of empathy for everything else on Earth.

Carbon that took millions of years to safely sequester is being released in a geological blink of an eye a couple of hundred years. In 2024, global average atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations reached a record high of 424.61 parts per million (ppm) - a 3.6 ppm increase compared to 2023. 

The last time atmospheric carbon dioxide reached that level was in the Miocene, 16 million years ago ... long before Hominins first appeared about 6 million years ago. 

How much carbon can the Earth absorb to offset the sins of greed? We need wonder no longer! The largest annual increase of 3.6 ppm of atmospheric carbon dioxide observed in 2024 suggests that the buffering power of the Earth has been maxed out. The red oval in the following graphic identifies the sudden jump in atmospheric carbon dioxide. The Earth just can't take any more, and the buffering capabilities will be reduced as the planet continues to warm. The current level is approximately 50% higher than pre-industrial levels in 1760. 

The greenhouse effect was first identified in 1824 - yes, 200 years ago! The Goldilocks' balance of "greenhouse gases" created a perfect environment for life on Earth - a paradise. The combustion of fossil fuels and the release of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere have upset that balance. There are many other greenhouse gases to study, but the science and impacts remain the same.

The following graphic summarizes global warming since 1860 and includes the corresponding "warming stripes".

But this is only a third of the story. What has happened in the oceans below and the atmosphere above? The following graphic provides a more complete version of the impacts of global warming during our lifetime.

Stratosphere: The science is not trivial, but CO2 in the stratosphere is very efficient at absorbing and re-emitting heat. Much of this re-emitted heat is lost to space. There are very few stratospheric molecules available to intercept the heat as it exits to space. The net loss of stratospheric heat energy causes it to cool as CO2 levels continue to increase with time. 

Troposphere: The increased CO2 concentrations in the lower atmosphere intercept heat emitted from the Earth's surface. The Greenhouse Effect keeps that heat energy in the lower atmosphere. 

Ocean: The warming in the oceans follows that of the Earth, but with a time delay that increases with depth. This vertical mixing of heat energy takes time in high heat capacity water, so the above "warming strips" will be intuitively obvious to most. 

The "little blue planet, third from the sun" is changing, and the Holocene Epoch, which started only 11,700 years ago, is rapidly coming to an end.  The empathy-void decisions were made in the Exxon Head Offices in the 1970s. James Black, company scientist and climatologist for Exxon clearly stated that "uncontrolled fossil fuel use would cause a "super-interglacial" lasting thousands of years". It would take that long for nature to repair the Earth in the absence of people. (see "Big carbon's strategic response to global warming, 1950-2020") "Drill baby drill" remains the slogan.

Governments and international oil companies were well aware of the impacts of their actions in the 1970s. They preferred business as usual - ever more power and wealth at the expense of everything else on Earth. The evil lack of empathy for all things is not nearly adequate to describe these deeds. 

Earth will be the ONLY planet that we will ever know... and the species we share it with. The people need to "Make Earth Great Again". I thought it was a catchy slogan... 

Canada has been a climate laggard for decades now… here is a video and added information that everyone can understand, even some politicians. https://lnkd.in/eHzj3XHF

We need the MEGA logo on every green baseball cap around the world. There must be a will and a way to fix the wrongs of the Fossil Fools. Real leaders must embrace the whole planet and work together to avert the thousands of years of the forecast interglacial period. We are currently in the verification stages of that sadly accurate prediction.

How can the course of Earth be effectively changed? Some nations are making great strides forward. Leave the carbon where the millennium safely sequestered it, and where it must stay. Plant trees. Be a part of nature. We are all in this together!

There are millions of concerned citizens, scientists and leaders around the globe eager to make a difference on this existential global warming threat. It will take everyone working together to make a difference.

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water, 

Phil Chadwick