400ppm CO2 - What does it mean for Chappaqua?

You may or may not be aware that we hit a planetary milestone last week.The earth’s atmosphere now contains 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide. The last time our atmosphere contained this much CO2 was over 5 million years ago. Back then, there was no ice in the Arctic circle and sea level was between 16 and 130 feet higher than it is now.


If you read the NY Times, Scientific American or Time Magazine, you may see a chart called the Keeling Curve which shows the increase in C02 levels over time. When I was born, 1960, the  concentration was below 320ppm. By the time I was a ‘tween and sat in gas lines with my dad, a scientist, we were already nearing 330ppm.  The scariest thing about this curve is that it is not a straight line, it is an exponential curve. Our mathematically savvy children understand the differences between a straight line and an exponential curve.

The alarming speed at which these CO2 concentrations are increasing has never happened before in the history of our planet. An increase of 10 parts per million might have needed 1,000 years or more to come to pass during ancient climate change events. Now the planet is poised to reach the 1,000 ppm level in only 100 years if we keep burning fossil fuels at the present level.

What can expect as result of these increasing concentrations of CO2 right here in Chappaqua?

Higher than normal temperatures are guaranteed to be the new normal. In fact, June 2010 was the 301st month in a row with higher than average temperatures. If your kids were born any time after 1985 they have never lived through a month that was colder than average. This new normal does not bode well for the artificial turf football field that so many sports minded parents are raising money for. Studies show artificial turf fields are significantly hotter than grass ones.

More extreme weather events will be part of the new normal. When I first moved to Chappaqua in the late 1980’s tornadoes and “micro bursts” were unheard of in Northern Westchester. That is no longer the case. I’ll never forget the day my daughter’s bus was trapped between falling trees on Route 120 headed home from Roaring Brook School. Rising CO2 levels create warmer air and ocean temperatures, which lead to more powerful thunderstorms and instability that can create high winds.

More Superstorms. My front yard used to be very shady due to many mature trees that were planted by the Nelsons, the previous owners who lived in the house for 47 years before selling it to us. Within the last 2 years, so many trees have fallen that I can now plant flowers and veggies that do well in full sun.  Hurricane Irene, that wacky halloween snowstorm that dumped 12 inches of snow on my leafy trees and Superstorm Sandy were the cause.

More storms like Sandy will create more disruptions. Sandy knocked out our electricity for close to two weeks. The Reader’s Digest property served as a Red Cross relief center for more than a week. One can only wonder what the next storm will bring. Perhaps turning the Reader’s Digest property into a relief center instead of a strip mall or condos would be a wise idea.

Droughts and heat waves are part of the new normal. Heat waves could easily cause power outages due to our fragile electrical grid.  Remember the blackout of 2003? That was a wakeup call about our power grid. It is aging, under stress and suffers from chronic underinvestment. Droughts will also directly impact our industrial food system, making local food even more important.

What can we do to stop or slow these patterns?

Do some homework. Take time as a family to learn more about how climate change is impacting our children’s future. Make it into a family science project to learn how the burning of fossil fuels creates a greenhouse effect.  There are many great educational sources designed especially for children. https://vimeo.com/23654746

Learn about doing all you can to reduce your carbon footprint. We are all going to need to live more lightly on the earth if we want to survive the future. Colin Beavan wrote a book, No Impact Man, which was also turned into a movie. Both are highly recommended and are available at the Chappaqua Library.

Sandy Relief. The crisis isn’t over. While the lights are back on in Chappaqua, thousands of people in NY and NJ remain without homes or power. Occupy Sandy, ( http://occupysandy.net/ )a mutual aid organization which has outperformed both FEMA and the Red Cross, continues to be very active in parts of Long Island, Staten Island and New Jersey. Support them by contributing to their registries http://occupysandy.net/registries/  or by organizing a volunteer group to visit and lend a hand.

When my daughter was at Greeley, a service trip to Katrina ravaged New Orleans was the highlight of her senior year. It would be great if our Greeley seniors a service trip a regular event. To see the damage that weather can create is both humbling and empowering for our youth.

Here in Chappaqua, we care deeply about our children and their future. Their future is in question if CO2 levels continue to increase unchecked. Climate change is a direct, existential threat to our biosphere and all of human civilization. None of us can afford to stand on the sidelines.