New Weekly CO2 Concentration Record Set at the Mauna Loa Observatory 416.82 ppm.
As I've indicated several times before, somewhat obsessively I keep a spreadsheet of the weekly data at the Mauna Loa Carbon Dioxide Observatory, which I use to do calculations to record the dying of our atmosphere, a triumph of fear, dogma and ignorance that did not have to be, but nonetheless is.
I had the naive wishful thinking notion that restrictions on automobile traffic with all of the worldwide lock downs would lead to a slowing of carbon dioxide accumulations. Indeed, it does seem something a little bit unusual is going on. About a week ago, I reported that the annual maximum, which usually occurs in May seemed to have arrived early:
We May Have Hit The Annual Maximum CO2 Observatory at Mauna Loa Unusually Early This Year.
The previous record was set on April 5, of this year, about a month ago, at 416.45 ppm, and was followed by two weeks of lower readings, 416.27 ppm and 415.88 ppm, for the weeks beginning April 12 and April 19. Had values continued to decrease, it would have meant that this would stand as the second time, going back to 1975, that the peak was observed during the first week of April.
However - and this is unusual - after two weeks of declines in concentrations, the carbon dioxide concentrations began to increase, setting a new record for highest ever, 416.82 ppm.
The data from the Mauna Loa Carbon Dioxide Observatory:
Up-to-date weekly average CO2 at Mauna Loa
Week beginning on April 26, 2020: 416.82 ppm
Weekly value from 1 year ago: 414.45 ppm
Weekly value from 10 years ago: 393.18 ppm
Last updated: May 4, 2020
The increase in carbon dioxide concentrations when compared to the same week in 2019 is 2.37 ppm. The week to week comparisons between 2020 and 2019 are averaging this year 2.61 ppm. This same average in 2019, as compared to 2018, was 2.90 ppm.
In the week of January 1, 2000, the running average of comparisons of changes with respect to the same week ten years earlier, was 15.36 ppm higher than the figure ten years previous. In 2020, the same running average is 24.03 ppm over figures 10 years earlier.
If any of this troubles you, don't worry, be happy. Head on over to Daily Kos, where you can read all about how wonderful renewable energy is for the thermodynamically stupid practice of water electrolysis to make hydrogen: Renewable Friday: Hydrogen for Mass Energy Storage, Diesel Truck Conversions
My impression that I've been hearing all about how rapidly renewable energy has been growing since I began writing here in 2002, when the reading on April 14, 2002 was 375.14 ppm should not disturb you, since it is better to think everything is fine rather than focus on reality.
In this century, the solar, wind, geothermal, and tidal energy on which people so cheerfully have bet the entire planetary atmosphere, stealing the future from all future generations, grew by 9.76 exajoules to 12.27 exajoules. World energy demand in 2018 was 599.34 exajoules. Unquestionably it will be higher in 2019 and in 2020.
Despite 30 or 40 years of hearing about hydrogen HYPErcars and hydrogen cars and hydrogen trucks for much of my adult life - and I'm not young - the use of petroleum on this planet grew by 34.79 exajoules in this century, to reach a total of 188.45 exajoules for the last year we have data, 2018.
2019 Edition of the World Energy Outlook Table 1.1 Page 38] (I have converted MTOE in the original table to the SI unit exajoules in this text.)
Despite the expenditures of trillions of dollars on solar and wind energy, so called "renewable energy" both forms of energy combined remain trivial.
So called "renewable energy" has not worked to address climate change; it is not working to address climate change; it will not work to address climate change.
If however, we waste what little energy these expensive and popular but pixilated schemes do produce to generate hydrogen with our enthusiasm for thermodynamic illiteracy, it won't matter at all, as they will go from trivial to slightly more trivial.
History will not forgive us, nor should it.
I hope you stay safe and well and will, despite this crisis, be able to enjoy the spring.
