Transcript:
There is more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere now than at any time in at least 800,000 years.
Much of this additional carbon dioxide, or CO2, was emitted by people burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.
And as it accumulates in the atmosphere, that carbon dioxide is warming the Earth dangerously fast.
Scientists have known since the 1800s that CO2 traps heat.
As sunlight hits the Earth, it warms the planet. Some of that heat radiates back into space – but some is also trapped by CO2 in the atmosphere, like a blanket wrapped around the planet. It’s what’s called the greenhouse effect.
This warmth allows life on Earth to exist. But as CO2 levels rise, too much heat is trapped, and the Earth gets hotter and hotter. That makes extreme weather like hurricanes, droughts, and heat waves more destructive.
And as people burn more fossil fuels, atmospheric CO2 levels keep rising at a breakneck pace.
In the 1950s, the atmosphere had about 320 parts per million of CO2. Today, it has around 430.
So to slow global warming, it’s critical to reduce the use of fossil fuels as soon as possible.
Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media
