Former Australian racing driver Alan Jones attacks environmentalists who he says are engaging in unfounded theories because he says they do not know the concentration of carbon dioxide or how much is produced by the man. Jones claims in a viral social media video that CO2 only makes up 0.04% of the gases in the atmosphere and that humans have produced only 3% of that amount. But in reality, human activities have produced more than a third of the carbon dioxide currently present, causing an increase of 51% compared to the concentration of the pre-industrial period. Thus, man has not only produced 3% of the CO2 present in the atmosphere.
For those in a hurry:
- It is claimed that only 3% of the CO2 in the atmosphere was produced by humans.
- The concentration of CO2 is closely linked to the increase in Earth's temperature.
- Today, CO2 represents 0.0423% of the atmosphere.
- In 800 thousand years, in the pre-industrial era, it had never exceeded 0.028%.
- Thus, man has not only produced 3% of the CO2 present in the atmosphere.
- Human activities have produced approximately 34% of the CO2 in the atmosphere.
Analyzes
Let's see a screenshot of one of the messages being checked, others can be viewed here, here. Note the link to the Telegram channel of Davide Zedda, accustomed to the dissemination of misleading information. The description reads:
VIDEO | ALAN JONES: THEY WANT TO DISRUPT AND DESTROY SOCIETY AND THE WORLD ECONOMY FOR 0.04% OF C02: DO YOU KNOW HOW QUANTITY THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO? A GRAIN OF SUGAR ON THE HARBOR BRIDGE! The Australian channel invites Alan Jones who explains the reality of the climate scam to a group of climate fanatics. To the question: “How much carbon dioxide do we have in the atmosphere?” None of them knew the answer. They are protesting all over the world without knowing anything, because as we know well, these movements are financed by the same elites. “CO2 makes up 0.04% of the atmosphere, and humans are responsible for 3% of that 0.04%… It's like saying, 'There's a grain of sugar on the Harbor Bridge.' Clean the deck, it's dirty.'” Guest on the television show – QUALE – former Australian pilot and now television personality Alan Jones attempts to deny the anthropogenic origin of current climate change by asserting that carbon dioxide carbon currently present in the atmosphere represents 0.04% of the total, and that human contribution has only contributed 3% to this proportion. A contribution which would be – if it were real – negligible.
423ppm
Alan Jones is correct when he says that CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere is 0.04%. According to data provided by NASA, updated through January 2024, the gas that contributes most to increasing the greenhouse effect on the planet has a concentration of 423 parts per million. Translated into a percentage, it is 0.0423%.
Humans produce about 34% of the CO2 in the atmosphere
Now we come to the human impact, which accounts for well over 3% of this amount. In fact, in pre-industrial times, the concentration of CO2 was slightly lower than 280 parts per million, as shown by data published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US government agency responsible for weather forecasting, and monitoring ocean and atmospheric conditions. Still consulting NASA data, we see that in the 800 thousand years preceding today, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere had never exceeded this threshold. This means that since the first human activities related to the burning of fossil resources, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by approximately 51% compared to pre-industrial levels. The CO2 emitted by humans therefore represents around 34% – or a third – of that currently present in the atmosphere.
Jones tries with his statements to argue that there is no correlation between the concentration of CO2 and the temperature of the planet. This correlation does exist, however, and has been proven by decades of scientific literature. This can be found in this graphic from NOAA.
Conclusions
It is claimed that only 3% of the CO2 in the atmosphere was produced by humans. The concentration of CO2 is closely linked to the increase in Earth's temperature. Today, CO2 represents 0.0423% of the atmosphere. In 800 thousand years, in the pre-industrial era, it had never exceeded 0.028%. Thus, man has not only produced 3% of the CO2 present in the atmosphere. Human activities have produced approximately 34% of the CO2 in the atmosphere.
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