The graph shown below showcases the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) from 1997 to the most current reading in 2021. Approximately once a week air samples were collected and analyzed for the amount of CO2 found in them. And then plotted on this chart to show the changes in concentration.
Carbon Dioxide is significant to look at because it is the single most abundant green house gas humans have pumped into our atmosphere. “It absorbs less heat per molecule than the greenhouse gases methane or nitrous oxide, but it’s more abundant and it stays in the atmosphere much longer.”(Climate.gov) So once CO2 is up there it is difficult to take out and contribute heavily to the global warming problem we currently face.
The data shown below shows an increase in CO2 from its lowest point in 1997 of 355 to the highest recording of 420 in 2020. There is visible wave motion in this graph driven by seasonal changes which effect the uptake of CO2 and the release of it into the atmosphere. But even with the waves the average for the amount of CO2 found in each weekly sample is on the rise because of humans pumping CO2 into the air. This is a problem for all life, because more CO2 in the air has a direct correlation to an increase in the green house effect which in turn means the collective warming of our planet. This cause further problems as water levels rise as ice caps melt. I choose to focus on Greenland in particular because “the Greenland ice sheet is the second largest mass of ice on Earth, holding enough water to raise global sea levels by 7.2 metres.” which mean loss of habitat for humans and animals alike. If CO2 emissions are not decreased, dangerous repercussions for our unsustainable behavior will greet us and our next generation.
