We’ve all heard about how CO2 is a greenhouse gas that causes global warming. But CO2 levels have always fluctuated, so why is it so important now? Here’s Chief Meteorologist Bernadette Woods Placky with the answers.
Plants need carbon dioxide for nourishment and a certain amount of it in the atmosphere helps trap enough heat to keep the planet from freezing. So how can something be so important but also potentially dangerous? Easy. Just like our bodies, the climate system can become unbalanced if it gets too much of a good thing. There are all sorts of
MoreThe average global temperature fluctuates every year. However, when you look at a snapshot of the global temperature trend, it's on the rise - particularly since 1970. The main cause? Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. There are plenty of factors that influence temperatures in different regions across the
MoreIt’s official, the concentration of heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere was higher than 400 parts per million (ppm) for the entire month of February, on average. This definitive measurement comes from the Mauna Loa Observatory, which has been monitoring CO2 continuously since 1958. The saw-tooth pattern indicates the annual
MoreIf the folks at Guinness World Records kept tabs on climate change, they’d be taking note that the planet has hit a milestone: levels of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have averaged more than 400 parts per million each day for the entire month of April. That’s the first time this has happened in at least 800,000 years — and maybe
More
