O2 Breathe Freely

I don't know about you but I got to thinking about this continued inaction in the United States around the issue of global climate change and what it will take to wake up the Gaiavorous culture of Americans.  This seems to be of paramount importance seeing the reams and reams of reports and studies documenting the near total collapse of the primary ecosystems of the Earth.   

Unfortunately, Americans are so conditioned to living in fear that the ultimate scare doesn't even register in their advertisement addled minds.  They are content with the fact that someone else (not them of course) is offsetting their carbon emissions by planting trees somewhere else.  As long as Americans don't experience the effects of freak rainfall events, powerful storms or severe droughts they don't take any personal action to make change happen. 

Thinking about this I wondered, using my minimal climate training from college, if there was a proportionate gaseous process taking place where oxygen went down as carbon dioxide emissions increased.  I don't recall all of the elements of Boyles Law but it reasons that if the volume of CO2 increased in the atmosphere then the available oxygen might decrease, all other factors being equal.   

This would certainly put a new spin on the conversation about the importance of global climate change.  Once folks began to realize that available oxygen was decreasing while there was a simultanious increase in humans competing for the dwindling life sustaining gases, there would be a massive outcry to stop the depletion of oxygen and reduce the CO2 so that there would be more oxygen available.

As it turns out it does appear that oxygen is decreasing in both the atmosphere and in the oceans. In addition to tracking temperature increases as important indicators for global climate change we also need to be tracking decreases in available oxygen concentrations because oxygen is key to human life.  We can go without food and water for extended periods of time and still survive.  Go without oxygen for a few minutes and that is the end of this road show for you.

It turns out that another reason to pay attention to the decreasing oxygen levels is that we have historic evidence that a large decrease in oxygen has happened in the past and impacted all forms of life on Earth.  It is termed the Great Dying and happened about 250 million years ago during the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history.  What do they say about history repeating itself?

Unfortunately, this new awareness will undoubtedly lead to more regulation.  Marathon runners and professional athletics with have to purchase "oxygen consumption credits".  Elderly people will be stopped by airport security (wait, they already are!) to determine if they are smuggling additional oxygen canisters.  Oxygen bars would come under federal jurisdiction and tighter controls, eventually becoming "business non grada" because of the "black market oxygen" smuggling and itinerant inhalers lingering around neighborhoods. 

Maybe Mel Brooks was far more prescient in Space Balls then anyone imagined at the time.  Look for the first cases of PerriAire in a store near you this coming winter!