Principal Investigator
Kris Karnauskas
Collaboration + support
Cooperative Institutes for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES); CU Boulder Departments of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, Environmental & Occupational Health, Mechanical Engineering; Colorado School of Public Health; Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania
By the year 2100, we may not be thinking too clearly.
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations (CO2) might mean that people will be breathing indoor air with CO2听levels up to 1,400 parts per million by the end of this century, according to a CU Boulder-led study. That鈥檚 more than three times today鈥檚 outdoor CO2听levels and well beyond what humans have ever experienced. Air with such high CO2听concentrations may reduce our basic decision-making ability by 25 percent.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing how high CO2听gets in enclosed spaces,鈥� said , Fellow, associate professor at CU Boulder and lead on the 2020听GeoHealth听study.听鈥淚t affects everybody鈥攆rom kids packed into classrooms to scientists to regular folks in their homes. It鈥檚 an indirect, overlooked impact of climate change.鈥�