Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumThe Orange Pedophile in the White House Finally Takes a Positive Action on the Collapse of the Planetary Atmosphere.
Last edited Thu Apr 23, 2026, 08:34 AM - Edit history (2)
Readings from the Mauna Loa CO2 Observatory for Week 15 of 2026:
Week beginning on April 12, 2026: 429.80 ppm
Weekly value from 1 year ago: 430.16 ppm
Weekly value from 10 years ago: 408.64 ppm
Last updated: April 22, 2026
Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
This figure, showing a decrease over the previous year's reading, is only one of 33 week to week comparators with the previous year to do so out of 2,619 readings going back to 1975 and is the 7th lowest reading of all time.
There has not been a negative week to week comparative reading at the observatory since 1997, in the week beginning September 7, 1997, when the reading was -0.37 ppm compared to the same week of 1996.
I'm sure there are people who will jump up and down claiming that this is a victory for so called "renewable energy," except this year, 2026, also produced the 14th highest comparative reading with the previous year, week 13, beginning March 29 2026, when the reading was 4.47 ppm higher than the previous year, one of only 37 such readings to exceed a 4.00 ppm increase over the same year. .
I think the real reason is probably that our Emperor, Naked Pedophile the First, stumbled into a war leading to the closure of the Straits of Hormuz, causing a worldwide shortage of oil and gas. This may be problematic for the impoverished, but it is good for the environment.
It is experimentally interesting to see this effect, that gas and oil restrictions can give a low, even a negative reading, although undoubtedly statistical noise is also involved.
Interesting, I think. I've not seen this in the roughly 15 or 20 years I've been tracking this.
I trust you're having a pleasant work week if you still work.
eppur_se_muova
(42,173 posts)Remember that year when city streets were as dead and empty as a post-apocalyptic SF/horror movie ?

NNadir
(38,308 posts)...only year since I've been tracking it that energy consumption measured in Exajoules actually fell, if I recall correctly - I'm away from my computer right now - it could have been 2021.
The carbon impact was modest however.
I'm ambivalent about closing the Straits of Hormuz. I oppose all fossil fuels, but on the other hand, at this moment the burden falls, as is always the case, on those who can least afford it.
To the extent it raises interest in nuclear energy, which it seems to be doing, it's a good thing. To the extent it induces immediate pain on the poor, it is regrettable.
Response to NNadir (Original post)
jfz9580m This message was self-deleted by its author.
OKIsItJustMe
(21,891 posts)He was big on the Artemis program. Oh yeah! Were going to ramp that right up! Forget about the Gateway space station (who needs that?) Forget about the planetary science programs (i.e. climate science.) Forget about science pretty much altogether.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/11/artemis-ii-nasa-budget-cuts
Even as a triumphant moon flyby primes agency for a 2028 landing, Trumps proposed budget cuts cast pall on US space program
Richard Luscombe
Sat 11 Apr 2026 13.33 BST
The astronauts onboard Artemis II were almost poets, Nasas administrator, Jared Isaacman, declared on Friday, referring to their inspiring words as they swung above the lunar surface.
Even as Integrity, the mission moniker for the Orion capsule of Artemis II, ascended into the heavens days ago, Donald Trump was announcing his intention to slash Nasas budget by 23%, including a 46% cut for space science initiatives. And the Artemis program that has run years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget offers no guarantees that the next, far harder stages will run as smoothly.
But there is also the president, who expressed in a post to his own Truth Social on Friday how proud he was of the great and very talented crew while making no mention of his desire to impose extinction-level cuts to the agency he purports to value.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116383366460984028
Isaacman said he supported the White House desire to strip a further $6bn in funding from his agency, insisting that the levels are sufficient to meet high expectations and deliver on all mission priorities.