Cannabis. At least most major cities in Europe/North America I find it really common now to openly smell cannabis all hours of the day. Combination of the strains being MUCH stronger and legalization. Even just 20 years back, of course in the Haight in SF or certain parts of NYC you'd smell it, or outside clubs/bars at night. But today I walk through Downtown SF at 830am and smell it every other block. Was in the design district in NYC a few weeks back and same deal.

[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It's common, but absolutely not omnipresent the way cigarette smoke was. Even now it's quite distinctive and noticable, even if common.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 6 points 3 weeks ago

Helps that most people don't smoke a pack of joints every day.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

At my work it constantly smells like cannabis because there's a literal weed factory next door.

It's great because I just blame my weed smell on the factory.

[–] Nytarsha@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

There's more methane in the atmosphere now. It probably smells like a fart.

[–] saigot@lemmy.ca 12 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

~~Methane needs 5-16PPM [PDF] to be detectable with human smell. Atmospheric Methane is at about 2ppm. So the vast majority of people would not notice a difference. ~~

nvm see below

[–] isolatedscotch@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

methane doesn't have an odor, you linked to the data sheet of trichlorofluoromethane, a completely different molecule

The gas in your house is artificially made stinky so that people would notice leaks and blow their house up, which happened a lot back when the stinky chemicals weren't added and it was odorless

[–] saigot@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 weeks ago

That's what I get for moving quick, thank you. I guess the overall point that methane will not make the atmosphere smell still holds

[–] kamenlady@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

People from the 40s would recognize the current smell of the world.

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 9 points 3 weeks ago

I feel like it’s probably the people from the ~1880s-1920s would know the smell of the world today

[–] PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 3 weeks ago

I'm hoping car exhaust takes that role.