ohbloodyhell8

So I read an article today about the earth’s CO2 levels. Apparently they usually drop below 400ppm by this time of the year. But this year, nope. So I talked with Older Son about it on the way to karate. We talked about how the earth has always gone through cycles when the atmospheric levels fluctuate, and rather dramatically. He rattled off different eras, Mesozoic, Devonian, stuff I can’t remember but my thirteen year old knows inside and out. 

We talked about the different ways humans have impacted the levels, sort of forcing a weird form of evolution. We talked about pollution, ways to control it. And we talked about proactive steps we can take, like planting species of flora that produce high levels of oxygen, like algae. 

Well, I touched a nerve. Older Son went on a five minute rant about the importance of algae and how stupid we are to kill it. He talked about how we should give up some of the prime beach and ocean spots for recreational purposes and have algae farms.

Really though, are the environmental scientists screaming about the end of the world at the hands of billions of humans talking with paleontologists, paleobotanists, to better understand the changes in the atmosphere since forever ago? We could proactively raise oxygen levels to counteract our CO2 contributions. 

Like snake plants, sometimes called mother-in-law tongue, produces high levels of oxygen, even at night. If you put half a dozen or so in each room of your home, you’ll have a natural air filter and better air quality.

We talked about the next great extinction and how it will probably be us. Long time from now, but still. And as I watched my favorite Paleontologist walk into karate, I wondered who the future paleontologists would be. Who would dig us up? What would they think?