Brian Merchant:
Today, federal scientists confirmed that for the first time in millions
of years, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere had reached 400
parts per million. The pre-industrial level was 280 ppm, and the amount
that top climatologists say is advisable for maintaining a stable
environment is 350 ppm. The new carbon concentration signals that
planetary warming will continue to accelerate—and that the rapidly
melting Arctic will continue to thaw.
“It symbolizes that
so far we have failed miserably in tackling this problem,” Pieter P.
Tans, who runs the chief carbon-monitoring program for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The New York Times, in a front-page story headlined “Carbon Dioxide Level Is at Highest in Human History.”
At about the same time that NOAA released its numbers, the White
House—which has thus far not commented on the carbon milestone—published
a press release called “Protecting Our Interests in the Arctic.” The release heralds the administration’s newly forged National Strategy for the Arctic Region,
a document that contains the recommendations of military advisers,
scientists, and policy analysts on how to cope with and exploit a
slushier Arctic.
[…]
The strategy document notes
that “dense, multi-year ice is giving way to thin layers of seasonal
ice, making more of the region navigable year-round. Scientific
estimates of technically recoverable conventional oil and gas resources
north of the Arctic Circle total approximately 13 percent of the world’s
undiscovered oil and 30 percent of the world’s undiscovered gas
deposits, as well as vast quantities of mineral resources, including
rare earth elements, iron ore, and nickel. These estimates have inspired
fresh ideas for commercial initiatives and infrastructure development
in the region.”
Sometimes I worry we’re too stupid
not to go extinct.
