James F. Pankow was born in 1951 when atmospheric global CO2 levels were ∼312 ppm. 312 ppm!

[NNadir]

James F. Pankow was born in 1951 when atmospheric global CO2 levels were ?312 ppm. 312 ppm! He received his BA (Chemistry) in 1973 from the State University of New York at Binghamton. His desire to do environmental chemistry took deep root there while working in the laboratory of Gilbert E. Janauer (Ph.D., University of Vienna), who taught him what it means to be a good analytical chemist interested in working on important problems. He received his Ph.D. (Environmental Engineering Science) in 1979 from the California Institute of Technology. It was while working there under the guidance of James J. Morgan (Ph.D., Harvard) that he watched how a chemist seeks to develop some knowledge relevant to slowing, and just maybe starting to reverse, our shameless destruction of a beautiful world. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2009 in recognition of his work in the solution chemistry and formation of atmospheric particles

From the author's biographical note contained in this paper, a viewpoint paper in an issue of this journal dedicated to the memory of Dr. James Morgan: Do Not Steal. The Commons Tale of win–lose, win–win–LOSE, and lose–lose–LOSE James F. Pankow Environmental Science & Technology 2021 55 (21), 14333-14337

People born in the early 1950's represent the generation that did the most to destroy the future world. Some, apparently Dr. Pankow, tried to stop it, but were overwhelmed.

A bleak legacy for my generation, I think, and the author's biography perfectly reflects it.

As of yesterday, November, 5, 2021 at the time of this writing, the concentration of the dangerous fossil fuel waste carbon dioxide in the planetary atmosphere was 414.31 ppm. The annual trough for these concentrations was observed during the week beginning September 12, 2021 and was 2.09 ppm higher than the annual trough observed in the week beginning September 29, 2020. The annual high this year was 420.01 ppm, observed during the week of April 5, 2021, the first reading to exceed 420 ppm, less than ten years after exceeding 400 ppm for the first time. The 420.01 ppm reading was 2.58 ppm higher than the previous year's high, recorded during the week beginning May 24, 2020.

History will not forgive Dr. Pankow's generation, nor should it, but his efforts to stop the insanity will be lost, as Rutger Hauer put it, "tears in rain."

[Triloon]

1. Garbage thinking.

"People born in the early 1950's represent the generation that did the most to destroy the future world."

"History will not forgive Dr. Pankow's generation, nor should it"

Nearly everything you know about climate science was found out by people born in the early 50's.
Likewise, nearly all the work to correct it has been by the same people. Your analysis is weak, flawed, bigoted, and incomplete.
(Obscene expletive removed)

[NNadir]

2. You probably need to be able to tell the difference between people BORN in the 1950's...

...and people who worked in the 1950's.

The original modern understanding, resuming the work of Arrhenius in the late 19th century and early 20th century, was first clearly stated in the work of Roger Revelle's subordinate Charles Keeling. Keeling was born in 1928, Revelle in 1909, about 13 years after Arrhenius's first speculative paper on the subject.

We obviously have a very different definition of "garbage thinking."

Speaking only for myself, I suspect that, being able to make a decent stab at what "garbage thinking" might be, a good place would be to start with understanding what the word the word "born" means, but that's just me.

Another word it might be useful to understand is the word "correct." Anyone who thinks that we've done anything to "correct" climate change is either a Republican or delusional or grotesquely uninformed. We hit 420.01 ppm concentrations of carbon dioxide in 2021, less than 10 years after we first hit 400 ppm.

I couldn't possibly care less what you think is "garbage thinking," although I do feel I recognize it when I see it, but then again, I read the primary scientific literature, from which this author's biography comes. In general, I'm disinterested in sulky puerile babble, but having grown up in my generation, I have heard an awful lot of it.

[Triloon]

3. We all stand on the shoulders of giants.

Even those us who complain that the giants should have been taller.

Your attempt to dishonor the lives and work of the scientists, educators, writers, artists, and activists born in the fifties who took up against global warming really only dishonors yourself. That's because these people are the ONLY people who have done ANYTHING, but you see fit to lump them in with the skeptics and deniers and condemn the entire generation. Why do you do that? Because the curve from Mauna Loa looks hopeless? It has always looked hopeless. And yet intelligent people of good will have continued to strain against it.

The data and analysis we have today far outstrips that which was available in the 50's and it was nearly all produced by this generation you want to condemn. All of the efforts to educate, organize and find practical solutions have been made by this group, and few others.

They don't need me to defend them, they need no defense at all.
So I repeat- your analysis is weak, flawed, bigoted, and incomplete. And I will add to that - Futile.

That is what I mean by Garbage Thinking. But you have said you don't care what I mean, and that's fine, it is just the frosting on your shitty cake.

[NNadir]

4. Oh look, I'm getting a lecture on "honoring" scientists complete with a cliche.

I think I made clear how I define garbage thinking.

I've been studying energy and the environment seriously from the primary scientific literature for well over 30 years. I know whence I speak.

Comments from the peanut gallery of wishful thinking and patting ourselves on the back for failing don't mean very much to me at all. What matters is that we hit 420 ppm of the dangerous fossil fuel waste carbon dioxide in the planetary atmosphere in 2021, again less than 10 years after we first hit 400.

DU has an ignore list, which is an outstanding feature which keeps one from being distracted by nonsense.

I need to expand mine immediately.

Have a wonderful life in congratulating yourself for whatever it is. There are some people who think quoting 400 year old remarks from Issac Newton make them sound remotely intelligent. I disagree.

Again, have a nice life.

[Triloon]

5. Right. Ignore the people that

challenge your biases. That's real science-y. The CO2 numbers are crucially important. I've been chanting the ever rising CO2 ppm to everyone around me since 1968. I remember it being around 340, and everyone who understood it knew where it was going. I've been preaching the cascade effects of crossing the 2C increase in average surface temps for about the same time. Sea ice area, changing deep sea thermoclines, planetary albedo figures, the gigatons of unexpressed methane clathrates, all of that. But just repeating these numbers is not persuasive. After 30 years of study you should know that. After 53 years of it I certainly do. So go ahead and ignore me and just keep on reciting the ppm, and if that's not successful then demean the people that have come before you, that's bound to work.
Ignoring me doesn't make me the ignorant one, genius.