See also:

Greenhouse gas levels

Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op

What is happening?

• The use of fossil fuels in transportation, industry, heating and power generation throughout the world has increased steadily over the past 40 years. This has resulted in increases in greenhouse gas emissions, shown here as carbon dioxide levels (the bars on the chart).

Why is it happening?

• Greenhouse gas emissions have increased at the same rate as the overall world economic production, measured by the Gross World Product (GWP - the red triangles on the chart). The GWP reflects the increase in worldwide industrialization and human population levels.

Why is it important?

• Greenhouse gases trap the sun's heat at the earth's surface, resulting in increases in temperature and other changes in weather patterns.
• Carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, occurs naturally, and the greenhouse effect it produces is necessary for life on earth. However, the steady increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is now having an effect on the world's climate, and this effect is expected to increase.

Technical Notes

• This graph is adapted from the Environment Canada website.
• Bars represent estimated total world emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.