Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) vs US Annual Working Hours per Worker

Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) and US Annual Working Hours per Worker correlate at r = -0.80 over 65 years (1959–2023), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = +0.41. Direction flips without the trend.

Verdict: Direction flips without the trend. The raw correlation is -0.80, but once each series' time trend is removed it becomes 0.41. The year-to-year movements run the opposite way to the long-run trends, so the headline number is misleading.

Pearson r: -0.80
p-value: < 0.0001
Years compared (n): 65 (1959–2023)
95% confidence interval: -0.87 to -0.69
Correlation with the time trend removed: +0.41

Sources

Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) (ppm): NOAA GML. Annual mean atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii (NOAA GML).
US Annual Working Hours per Worker (hours): Our World in Data. US Annual Working Hours per Worker (Our World in Data: Working hours per worker).

Related pairs

Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) vs US GDP per Capita (r = +0.99)
Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) vs US Population (r = +0.99)
Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) vs US GDP (current US$) (r = +0.98)
Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) vs US Cereal Yield (r = +0.98)
Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) vs Atmospheric Methane (global) (r = +0.98)
Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) vs US Adult Obesity (r = +0.98)

Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.