Skeptic Check: Hostile Climate

Big Picture Science

Science, Technology

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2013

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s a record we didn’t want to break. The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere hits the 400 parts-per-million mark, a level which some scientists say is a point of no return for stopping climate change. A few days later, a leading newspaper prints an op-ed essay that claims CO2 is getting a bad rap: it’s actually good for the planet. The more the better. Skeptic Phil Plait rebuts the CO2-is-awesome idea while a paleontologist paints a picture of what Earth was like when the notorious gas last ruled the planet. Note: humans weren’t around. Plus, our skit says NO to O2 … and a claim that climate change skeptics have borrowed from the Creationists’ playbook in challenging the teaching of established science in schools. Guests: Phil Plait – Astronomer, skeptic, and author of Slate Magazine’s blog Bad Astronomy Peter Ward – Paleontologist and biologist, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington in Seattle Josh Rosenau – Programs and Policy Director at the National Center for Science Education Eugenie Scott – Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education Descripción en español Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:51.0	Well, there are some records that we don't want to break,
0:55.0	but recently we did just that.
1:00.0	In early May of 2013 atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide passed a threshold that we didn't want to cross over,
1:06.8	this was the 400 parts per million mark.
1:09.5	That means one atom of carbon for every 5,000 atoms of nitrogen or oxygen.
1:15.0	And this is a higher concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere than humans have ever seen since when, Seth.
1:21.4	Since ever.
1:22.4	Since ever.
1:23.0	Because to find levels this high, you have to go back millions of years before Homo sapiens existed.
1:29.2	Now, the 400-PPM level, as reported by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
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