Killing the Mauna Loa observatory over irrefutable evidence of increasing CO2

Role and Uniqueness of Mauna Loa CO₂ Measurements

• Commenters stress Mauna Loa’s value as the longest, highest-quality continuous atmospheric CO₂ record since 1958; continuity of a single, well-characterized site is seen as scientifically critical.
• Location is defended: high altitude, isolation in mid‑Pacific trade winds, and active correction for volcanic emissions make it a clean “baseline” site despite being on a volcano.
• Several correct confusion between Mauna Loa (atmospheric station + solar telescope, “a shipping container full of sensors”) and Mauna Kea (large astronomical observatories).

Cost, Alternatives, and “Just Use Other Sensors”

• One side argues CO₂ can be measured many other ways/places, and that maintaining a mountaintop facility (or telescope) may be an outdated, expensive choice.
• Others reply that the CO₂ system is not a cheap off‑the‑shelf sensor, that restarting elsewhere breaks an irreplaceable time series, and that the facility is small and likely inexpensive relative to its value.
• It’s noted that the proposal is to close the facility, not just retire a telescope.

Motives and NOAA-Wide Climate Cuts

• Multiple links are cited indicating the entire NOAA climate observation budget is being gutted, including stations in Hawaii, Alaska, Samoa, and Antarctica.
• Many participants interpret this as an explicitly ideological move to suppress climate data, referencing prior statements from political actors calling NOAA a source of “climate alarmism.”
• A minority pushes back, saying the article and some comments over-attribute motive without direct proof; they call for distinguishing budget rationalization from intentional data suppression.

Broader Climate Politics and Denialism

• Several comments lament that even in a technical community, climate denial and minimization remain common, leading to pessimism about societal response.
• Others discuss how voters have short memories, focus on inflation and fuel prices, and both major US parties ultimately protect cheap fossil energy.
• There is debate over personal sacrifice vs. policy-level solutions (e.g., EVs, carbon removal, inequality, “Bezos’s jet” as a distraction), with consensus that only systemic policy shifts can meaningfully change outcomes.

Parallels to Authoritarian Attacks on Science

• Some draw historical parallels to Nazi-era purges of “inconvenient” science and book burnings, and to current witch-hunts against foreign researchers.
• Dissenters caution against overstretched analogies but agree that dismantling long-built scientific infrastructure is easy and potentially disastrous.