Warming to the task

BOULDER — If there were no data on the changing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, deciding on the next steps in environmental protection would be based on a hunch.

Considering the broad nature of implications and the expense for addressing the impact humans have on the climate, the data must be objective, accurate and thorough.

For that reason, Pieter Tans, senior scientist with the Earth System Research Lab at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, leads a team that collects, analyzes and maintains data on carbon dioxide levels as well as other greenhouse gases.

Tans’ decades of work in…