According to U.N. Climate Change, on May 3 “the highest ever greenhouse gas concentration in history was observed at Mauna Loa Observatory: 418.12 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere.” How is this possible when this terrible pandemic has interrupted energy demand and emissions have been temporarily reduced?
Stopping the rise in CO2 concentrations requires net zero CO2 emissions. Net zero carbon dioxide emissions means reducing emissions enough that they are balanced by CO2 removal, such as being absorbed by forests and dissolved in the oceans, otherwise the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will continue to grow. And notably, about half of the carbon dioxide we emit stays in the atmosphere for centuries or more.
One lesson from the COVID-19 crisis is to respect catastrophic risk. Nassim Nicholas Taleb coined the term “black swan” to describe an unexpected, high-impact event. He coauthored a Jan. 26 paper on the coronavirus that concluded: “Decision-makers must act swiftly and avoid the fallacy that to have an appropriate respect for uncertainty in the face of possible irreversible catastrophe amounts to ‘paranoia.’” The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act has been introduced in the House of Representatives, and it would provide an insurance policy on climate change. This bipartisan bill puts a steadily rising price on carbon dioxide emissions and returns the money to the American people.
It’s crucial for the United States to provide leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This time, let’s heed the warnings.
Terry Hansen
Hales Corners, Wisconsin