Video courtesy of the NSF.
Past Matching of Global Temperature and CO2 Levels
Earth's global climate has been warming for the past 150 years. The main cause of this warming is an increase in the
concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. In the past, global average temperature and carbon dioxide levels have changed in sync. When CO2 levels were high, temperature was high. When
CO2 levels were lower, temperature was reduced. What does
CO2 have to do with global temperature? Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. It warms Earth via the greenhouse effect. When there is more
CO2, the greenhouse effect is stronger, so global temperature rises.
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