Every time we drive a car, use electricity from coal-fired power plants, or cool or heat our homes with oil or natural gas, we release carbon dioxide (CO2) and other heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. These gases act like a blanket, trapping heat and warming the Earth’s surface. The more of these gases we release, the thicker the blanket becomes.
Since the mid-1800s, our emissions of carbon dioxide have skyrocketed. There is more CO2 in the atmosphere now than there has been in the last 650,000 years. The burning of fossil fuel alone accounts for about 75% of the increase in CO2. Deforestation—the cutting and burning of forests that trap carbon—accounts for another 20%.
This heat-trapping blanket has warmed the Earth about 1°F during the past century. The last two decades are the warmest on record. Earth has not experienced such a rapid change in temperature in thousands of years. Unless we reduce the pollution that causes global warming, the world’s top scientists predict that temperatures could climb between 2.0° to 11.5°F this century.
Since the mid-1800s, our emissions of carbon dioxide have skyrocketed. There is more CO2 in the atmosphere now than there has been in the last 650,000 years. The burning of fossil fuel alone accounts for about 75% of the increase in CO2. Deforestation—the cutting and burning of forests that trap carbon—accounts for another 20%.
This heat-trapping blanket has warmed the Earth about 1°F during the past century. The last two decades are the warmest on record. Earth has not experienced such a rapid change in temperature in thousands of years. Unless we reduce the pollution that causes global warming, the world’s top scientists predict that temperatures could climb between 2.0° to 11.5°F this century.
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