Trump administration downplayed federally-backed climate scientists' revelations of unprecedented CO2 increase
*Hey there! Let's dive into some juicy climate change data released by the Trump administration, shall we? They've been sneaky, my friend. Instead of the traditional public-facing web story, they slipped away the new info on their secret social media hideouts last week.
The secret's out: global CO2 levels nudged their way up by an alarming 3.75 parts per million in 2024 – a record-breaking jump, mind you. That's over 25% larger than the previous record set in 2015. To give you a perspective, that's almost double the growth in just a decade since NOAA started tracking these numbers in 1979!
Now, it's interesting to note that these concerning numbers aren't merely floating out there. Instead, they're tucked away on NOAA's trusty CO2 data-tracking webpage, linked to through some cloak-and-dagger posts on social media (X, if you're wondering).
As you can imagine, this shift in communication strategy is a mid-size chunk of the larger picture – the Trump administration's relentless resistance towards unleashing climate change-related data to the public. It's almost as if they're trying to sweep those skyrocketing CO2 concentrations under the rug, right?
Speaking of rugs, let's not forget the Trump admin's plans to essentially shut down the Colorado-based lab responsible for the CO2 measurements, along with all other research labs across the agency. Say goodbye to those monthly climate press calls where scientists used to discuss global temperatures and the reasons behind the planet's ever-changing climate patterns.
On a lighter note, researchers have discovered a potentially ominous development: it seems like the world's forests and lands might be absorbing less CO2 than before. This, combined with continuous record-high global emissions from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and other human activities, is not exactly the news we want to hear, folks.
The unfortunate truth is, at the start of the industrial revolution, CO2 levels were a mere 280 ppm. It's a chilling reminder of how much our planet has warmed up since then. If you're wondering where our current levels sit, they clocked in at 422.7 ppm in 2024.
So, buckle up, folks! We're auf der Aktivpostaction! Let's keep a close eye on these increasing CO2 levels and demand transparency from our government. After all, while they're busy ducking and diving, Mother Nature's not sticking around to replay the game.
Source: CNN, Global Change Research Program, EPA, HHS, CDC, Public Environmental Data Partners
Additional Insights:1. The EPA is discontinuing mandatory greenhouse gas emissions reporting for most industrial facilities, which undermines the ability to track emissions sources and measure progress against climate goals.2. The administration terminated funding for the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment, weakening the evidence base for climate adaptation planning at state/local levels.3. Across multiple agencies, the administration has halted data collection on climate impacts, maternal mortality, and drug use. Volunteers now shoulder data preservation efforts through ad hoc projects like Public Environmental Data Partners, creating fragmented access compared to official channels.
- The sneaky reveal of the Trump administration's climate change data last week on secret social media hideouts raises questions about their policy-and-legislation surrounding climate-change and environmental-science.
- In 2024, global CO2 levels experienced a record-breaking increase of 3.75 parts per million, marking a concerning spike in the average climate-warming concentrations, according to science and data collected by NOAA.
- As the average CO2 levels soared to 422.7 ppm in 2024, public-facing web stories on climate change and general-news outlets seem to carry less weight, while veiled social media posts surface critical updates on climate-change data.
- The severe consequences of record-high global emissions and decreased CO2 absorption by forests and lands highlight the urgent need for climate policy and legislation to combat climate change.
- Undermining the tracking of emissions sources and progress against climate goals, the EPA discontinued mandatory greenhouse gas emissions reporting for most industrial facilities, weakening accountability within policy-and-legislation.
- In the absence of official channels like the USGCRP, non-profit organizations like Public Environmental Data Partners emerge to preserve critical data, creating a fragmented data landscape within the realm of environmental-science and climate-change.
