3 ms·

I guess this is one silver lining from the pandemic, but it's worth highlighting that this 8% drop in emissions rate only means that the concentration of CO2 in

I guess this is one silver lining from the pandemic, but it's worth highlighting that this 8% drop in emissions rate only means that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is rising more slowly. It's still rising. So we've got the second derivative going in the correct direction, at least.

elihu 7y ago
Well, technically this is right about the time of year when CO2 concentration stops increasing and drops sharply for the next couple of months, corresponding to the Northern hemisphere growing season. CO2 doesn't increase monotonically, it's actually more like a sine wave with an upward trend. It's that upward trend that has everyone rightfully worried, but the seasonal oscillation is part of the pattern too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeling_Curve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeling_Curve
coffeefirst 7y ago
Also worth noting that the ways to realistically address climate change require a massive, historic investment. I don’t know what the limit is on world governments’ ability to write a giant blank check, but I can’t imagine the trillions we need to spend on the current crisis makes turning around and dropping trillions on the next one any easier.
- PoachedSausage 7y ago
  It might actually. Once you have had one impossible thought before breakfast, subsequent impossible thoughts surely become easier to have.
- cmendel 7y ago
  Truly? How many Trillions of dollars have we spent to slow the descent of the stock market in the last few months? How many more are we planning on spending? We aren't on the gold standard, we're on the idea standard. As such, our money is worth what we say it is worth and we can have as much of it as we want. If we said tomorrow "Here's 100 Trillion USD to fix climate change" we could do so. Yes I'm ignoring the inflationary effects for this example, but ultimately it doesn't matter. If we don't have a world to live in we'll have much larger concerns than inflation.
  - coffeefirst 7y ago
    Exactly. We don’t have a choice. And as powerful as that toolkit is, nothing is infinite.
davedx 7y ago
Flattening the curve :)
casefields 7y ago
We've got tons of lagging indicators incoming: The Untold Toll — The Pandemic’s Effects on Patients without Covid-19: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2009984 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2009984 COVID-19 Is Likely to Lead to an Increase in Suicides: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/covid-19-is-likely-to-lead-to-an-increase-in-suicides/ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/covid-19-i... Coronavirus could deplete Social Security as early as 'this decade': analysis: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/coronavirus-could-deplete-social-security-as-early-as-this-decade-analysis-220347671.html https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/coronavirus-could-deplete... "Deaths of despair”: The deadly epidemic that predated coronavirus: https://www.vox.com/2020/4/15/21214734/deaths-of-despair-coronavirus-covid-19-angus-deaton-anne-case-americans-deaths https://www.vox.com/2020/4/15/21214734/deaths-of-despair-cor... 'Biblical' famines could double global hunger as a result of the coronavirus crisis, UN warns: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/04/22/coronavirus-biblical-famines-could-double-global-hunger-un-warns.html https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/04/22/coronavirus-biblical-fam... How COVID-19 may increase domestic violence and child abuse: https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/domestic-violence-child-abuse https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/domestic-violence-child-... Millions of Credit-Card Customers Can’t Pay Their Bills. Lenders Are Bracing for Impact: https://www.wsj.com/articles/millions-of-credit-card-customers-cant-pay-their-bills-lenders-are-bracing-for-impact-11587807001 https://www.wsj.com/articles/millions-of-credit-card-custome...

elihu 7y ago

Well, technically this is right about the time of year when CO2 concentration stops increasing and drops sharply for the next couple of months, corresponding to the Northern hemisphere growing season. CO2 doesn't increase monotonically, it's actually more like a sine wave with an upward trend. It's that upward trend that has everyone rightfully worried, but the seasonal oscillation is part of the pattern too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeling_Curve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeling_Curve

coffeefirst 7y ago

Also worth noting that the ways to realistically address climate change require a massive, historic investment. I don’t know what the limit is on world governments’ ability to write a giant blank check, but I can’t imagine the trillions we need to spend on the current crisis makes turning around and dropping trillions on the next one any easier.

PoachedSausage 7y ago
It might actually. Once you have had one impossible thought before breakfast, subsequent impossible thoughts surely become easier to have.
cmendel 7y ago
Truly? How many Trillions of dollars have we spent to slow the descent of the stock market in the last few months? How many more are we planning on spending? We aren't on the gold standard, we're on the idea standard. As such, our money is worth what we say it is worth and we can have as much of it as we want. If we said tomorrow "Here's 100 Trillion USD to fix climate change" we could do so. Yes I'm ignoring the inflationary effects for this example, but ultimately it doesn't matter. If we don't have a world to live in we'll have much larger concerns than inflation.
- coffeefirst 7y ago
  Exactly. We don’t have a choice. And as powerful as that toolkit is, nothing is infinite.

davedx 7y ago

Flattening the curve :)

casefields 7y ago

We've got tons of lagging indicators incoming: The Untold Toll — The Pandemic’s Effects on Patients without Covid-19: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2009984 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2009984 COVID-19 Is Likely to Lead to an Increase in Suicides: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/covid-19-is-likely-to-lead-to-an-increase-in-suicides/ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/covid-19-i... Coronavirus could deplete Social Security as early as 'this decade': analysis: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/coronavirus-could-deplete-social-security-as-early-as-this-decade-analysis-220347671.html https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/coronavirus-could-deplete... "Deaths of despair”: The deadly epidemic that predated coronavirus: https://www.vox.com/2020/4/15/21214734/deaths-of-despair-coronavirus-covid-19-angus-deaton-anne-case-americans-deaths https://www.vox.com/2020/4/15/21214734/deaths-of-despair-cor... 'Biblical' famines could double global hunger as a result of the coronavirus crisis, UN warns: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/04/22/coronavirus-biblical-famines-could-double-global-hunger-un-warns.html https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/04/22/coronavirus-biblical-fam... How COVID-19 may increase domestic violence and child abuse: https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/domestic-violence-child-abuse https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/domestic-violence-child-... Millions of Credit-Card Customers Can’t Pay Their Bills. Lenders Are Bracing for Impact: https://www.wsj.com/articles/millions-of-credit-card-customers-cant-pay-their-bills-lenders-are-bracing-for-impact-11587807001 https://www.wsj.com/articles/millions-of-credit-card-custome...