There is not enough CO₂ in our atmosphere. Yes, you read that right. According to the scientists from the organization The CO₂ Coalition, we are currently in a period with record low CO₂, contrary to what governments, the IPCC and our media have been telling us for decades now. In fact, it’s a good thing that we’ve already climbed up a bit since the lowest level ever measured. Because if we fall back and perhaps even fall below that level, an absolute disaster is imminent: the extinction of plant life on this planet – and with it all life.
CO₂ is good for you.
These scientists know for sure. Who or what is this CO₂ Coalition that they dare to swim against the tide?
Critical scientists
Well, it doesn’t just come out of the blue, that scientific group. Their initiative stems from the George C. Marshall Institute, a conservative American think tank that saw the light of day in 1984, named after the man behind the famous Marshall Plan. The institute, which closed in 2015, has been critical of prevailing views on climate since 1989, and the CO₂ Coalition seems to be a successor to this think tank that several scientists from the Marshall Institute have taken part in or even participated in its creation. And the goal remains unchanged: to provide the climate lobby with science-based criticism.
Their findings are very different from those of the IPCC – and seem to make a lot more sense when we compare it to the observable facts. And when it comes to the panic about ‘too much CO₂ in the air’, their conclusions are clear: not only is that nonsense, but the opposite is true. The CO₂ concentrations are rather low, say these scientists.
CO₂ is not air pollution
In recent years, CO₂ is portrayed to us as a form of air pollution, as a result of how dirty we live, and that’s nonsense, of course, because CO₂ is naturally formed.
If humanity did not exist, there would still be CO₂ in the atmosphere. It’s colorless and odorless, so I don’t immediately see the polluting aspect. That’s not to say that it can’t be harmful: plenty of things that this earth naturally produces that can be an outright poison for us as humans, such as certain plants, minerals or gases.
But CO₂ is one of the most important factors when it comes to life on this planet: without CO₂, this planet would be a dead, cold rock. The more CO₂, the greener the planet becomes. And the greener the planet is, the healthier and more numerous life will be among all that greenery. CO₂ is a molecule of life that has made the miracle of life on this beautiful planet possible and helps sustain it every day.
Amount of CO₂
The amount of CO₂ is indicated in ppm: parts per million. It indicates, per million molecules, how many of those million molecules are CO₂ molecules: at the moment there are just over 400 on average. To keep it in clear percentages: 0.04% of all molecules in the atmosphere are CO₂ molecules. If we consider that CO₂ is one of the most important building blocks of all life on our planet, that is not a high number: less than a tenth of a percent.
The current climate lobby is right about one thing: it is true that CO₂ levels have risen somewhat in the last three hundred years. Before the start of the industrial revolution, the average content was even lower: around 280 ppm. But what the scientists at The CO2 Coalition claim is that this is precisely the dangerous exception: there is far too little CO₂ in the atmosphere. If that level gets close to 150 ppm, plant life starts to die, they say. And it should be clear that if the plants on this planet die, the rest of life will not have a chance either.
Carbon averages in our era are decidedly low compared to other times, says The CO2 Coalition. And it takes a long time to put that in context: according to this organization, the average CO₂ level of the past 800,000 years was ‘only’ 230 ppm, whereas in the 600 million years before that it had an average of 2600 ppm. That’s a big difference.
Our planet was once a great big green jungle. It was man who literally put the axe to this: in order to survive, man, who domesticated at an early age, simply has to engage in agriculture. And agriculture takes up space, especially given the fact that humanity expanded rather quickly thanks to domestication. The Europe of the early Middle Ages, before large-scale deforestation began, was a lot greener and wilder than it is today: CO₂ is food for plants and the more of it is in the air, the better plant life on earth develops. The question of how it is possible that the planet was once so much more vegetated than it is now can only be explained by considerable CO₂ levels, in periods when humans were far from manufacturing and combustion engines, is one that is surprisingly little asked.
CO₂ fertilization
Higher levels of CO₂ in our atmosphere are therefore beneficial for many plant species, including many of the plants that provide us with food. It’s called CO₂ fertilization, CO₂ fertilization, and it literally makes plants bigger and stronger. Their photosynthesis is better, their resistance to diseases and pests increases, the fact that they are getting bigger ensures that they quickly overshadow competing weeds and manage to overgrow them, and so on.
And that’s good news for the world’s ever-existing hunger: it means more harvests, bigger harvests, of healthier plants with more volume. With literally more nutritional value. This means that more food can be obtained from the same amount of hectares of agricultural land. And that too with less use of all kinds of chemical pesticides, thanks to the fact that those plants are not so easily affected by all kinds of enemies. That’s a fantastic win.
Drought
And not only that: plants are better able to withstand periods of drought at higher CO₂ levels. Because plants, just like us, have kind of pores, stomata, Plants absorb moisture and nutrients through these stomata, but they also lose them through these stomata. Research shows that a plant makes fewer and smaller stomata with more CO₂ – and is therefore able to retain internal moisture and absorbed nutrients longer and better, so that such a plant can keep itself alive better in the absence of precipitation. Again, this is great news, because it means a lot of new opportunities for agriculture in drier areas.
And it is visible, the effect of the rising CO₂ averages of the past three centuries: the planet is gloriously green. Interestingly, this piece from NASA says that CO₂ explains 70% of that greening, and that the second important factor is nitrogen.
But in any case, I can’t imagine that there are any major objections to the fact that our planet is becoming greener and greener – it’s very healthy. CO₂ provides that greening that we all desperately need, so that the ecological balances remain in order.
Is CO₂ dangerous?
Is it dangerous, high concentrations of CO₂ in the air? The websites that try to explain this are rather panicky about it: CO₂ levels above 1000 ppm are no longer good for us. We are already getting drowsy, and if those levels go up a bit, between 2000 and 5000 ppm, then things really start to go wrong, they say. Headaches, fatigue, poor concentration, increased heart rate and so on.
Strangely enough, these phenomena cannot be observed in party halls where hundreds of people are dancing and dancing energetically and in good spirits and where, thanks to all those sweating, breathing people, the CO₂ levels can rise considerably. On a more serious note, the level of CO₂ in a submarine can reach 8000 ppm (0.8%), which is considered normal. An environment in which these men can function at peak capacity, because that is what you can expect from the well-trained military personnel of a very expensive and dangerous submarine. So the question of what really dangerous CO₂ levels are: it seems that it’s just not that very harmful. This website of the Minnesota Health Department also says (a rare exception, because the panic is high on most sites): CO₂ poisoning is very rare.
Beer and parties
And was I just talking about partying? Because a party without CO₂ is not a party. A beer alone contains 6000 ppm and if you opt for something more expensive, such as champagne – a particularly festive drink – you drink a whopping 12,000 ppm CO₂. And what about the festive contributions that CO₂ can make to your party in other ways through great effects? Dry ice, that mighty beautiful stuff for Halloween parties, because it comes off that veil smoke that then mops up the floor so ghostly: is just frozen CO₂. And the CO₂ guns are also becoming increasingly popular: beautiful fog in the room between the partygoers to increase the revelry: it‘s a real business.
CO₂ is not a deadly poison gas, CO₂ will not mean the demise of this planet or that of humanity – CO₂ is a molecule of life to which we owe just about everything we are, do and own. So folks: isn’t it time we started realizing that without CO₂ we are literally and figuratively nowhere?
Say it out aloud: CO-two is good for you!
***
IWritten by Ines van Bokhoven.
OpinieZ: OpinieZ Er zit juist te weinig CO₂ in onze atmosfeer
Recent Comments