Every summer and winter the air changes, right? Cold gets hot and hot gets cold again. However, there’s a lot more going on in our atmosphere between the seasons than you might realize. Although less noticeable than leaves falling, or jackets piling up on coat racks, shifts in carbon dioxide and seasonal pollution both have a profound effect on the air we breath.
A little background
We depend on the sun’s energy to sustain life on Earth. Greenhouse gases, like water vapor, nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide, absorb the sun’s heat and warm our planet. According to NASA, CO2 is one of the most detrimental of the greenhouse gases. Much of the atmosphere’s CO2 is absorbed by plants through the process of photosynthesis, removing high concentrations from the atmosphere.
While CO2 has long been a naturally occurring and integral gas in our atmosphere, levels have spiked in recent modern times — and worryingly so. Human activities like deforestation, changes in how we use land, and the burning of fossil fuels to produce energy have caused C02 levels to increase by a third since the industrial revolution. This excess is proving to be extraordinarily harmful to our carefully balanced climate. By adding excessive CO2 to the atmosphere, we trap more heat and trigger global warming. CO2 also makes the oceans more acidic, affecting a variety of ocean life.
So, how does all this change from season to season?
When air changes from summer to winter, the colder temperatures force plants to shed their leaves and ultimately die which also means they are absorbing less CO2. This contributes to more CO2 in the air by virtue of naturally occurring seasonal changes, and then our natural response to the colder weather causes changes in our behavior that also impact CO2 variations.
As the cold weather approaches, we find ourselves less interested in active transport like walking or biking. We turn our thermostats up, and use more energy from light bulbs in the winter, thus ushering more CO2 into the air. There are many ways we can use clean energy to help curb the influx of CO2 emissions as the air changes from winter to summer.
- When the cold weather hits, try cuddling in a warm blanket or sweater before cranking up the thermostat.
- Replace your old incandescent light bulbs with LED light bulbs. According to Energy.gov, LED light bulbs use 25-85% less energy than incandescent light bulbs. Those figures go a long way in CO2 reduction.
- Even if walking or biking are not viable options where you live, consider carpooling or taking public transportation.
- Add insulation and weather stripping to your house, which will keep the cold air out and the thermostat down, greatly reducing CO2 emissions
So, while the seasons change, why not take the opportunity to change old habits? Every shift in our daily behavior that favors renewable energy has a significant impact on our global sustainability efforts. Once you see the difference these minor changes can make, implementing new behaviors with a new mindfulness will become as natural as breathing.
Contact us to learn more about how easy it is to switch to clean energy, or check availability in your neighborhood today.
Short-term variations in atmospheric CO2 levels are caused by natural processes or human activities. This classroom discusses these drivers to better understand what affects changes in CO2 levels and why this is relevant for the political agenda. The carbon dioxide
(CO2) concentration in the atmosphere is affected by both natural processes and anthropogenic emissions. Distinguishing the short-term variations in CO2 levels due to natural processes from human emissions is important for calculating the carbon budget and pushing for action to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Here, we explore the four main drivers of the changes in the level of CO2 in the atmosphere in the order of their contributions to weekly and monthly variations (from greatest to smallest).
Seasonal cycle
Throughout the year, seasonal fluctuations are seen in CO2 levels. The concentration decreases in spring and summer, and increases in autumn and winter. Forests are mainly responsible for these fluctuations, since they absorb CO2 through photosynthesis in spring and summer, and then release part of it back into the atmosphere during the decay of their leaves in autumn and winter. This cycle can be seen as the planet 'breathing'. The seasonal cycle of CO2 is more prominent in the Northern Hemisphere, where land and forest coverage is about twice as big as that in the Southern Hemisphere.
Human emissions
The second most important driver of short-term changes in CO2 levels are human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and land use changes. These activities transfer carbon that has been stored underground for a very long time into the atmosphere in the form of CO2. Nature partially compensates for this increased level of CO2, with forests and oceans absorbing about half of the emitted CO2, but not without consequences, such as ocean acidification. Nevertheless, 44% of the CO2 emitted by anthropogenic sources remains in the atmosphere each year. When considering short-term seasonal variations in CO2 levels, the seasonal cycle is the strongest contributor, since the effect of human emissions does not vary significantly throughout the year.