Where did the CO₂ Come From?
How do we know that humans are responsible for the recent drastic rise in atmospheric CO₂?
- There are three isotopes of carbon C₁₂, C₁₃ and C₁₄. There are correspondingly three types of CO₂. Each source of CO₂ has a characteristic profile of the three types of carbon. For example, volcanos have no C₁₃. Fossil fuels have no C₁₄. Living plants contain C₁₄. By looking at the profile of atmospheric CO₂ we know it came from burning fossil fuels.
- For hundreds of years, governments have been keeping track of the production of various fossil fuels. You can accurately calculate how much CO₂ was produced when the fuels were burned.
- Starting in 1896, scientists have been warning that burning fossil fuels would affect the climate in deleterious ways from excess CO₂.
- There is no natural process to explain the sudden bloom of CO₂.
- There is no natural process to explain all the CO₂ from burning fossil fuels disappearing. We know half dissolved in the ocean and half is accumulating in the atmosphere.
~ Roedy (1948-02-04 age:70)