Carbon dioxide concentration and atmospheric effects

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

The Greenhouse Effect or Global Warming is a major concern for environmentalists and should be cause for concern to all other people as well. According to this theory, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are being trapped in the Earth's atmosphere contributing to the degradation of breathable air as well as increasing temperatures which can have dire effects on the polar icecaps and the world's oceans. It is absolutely necessary to understand this issue and also to gauge whether or not attempts to decrease carbon dioxide emissions have improved the situation during the last few decades.

The purpose of this research is to examine the level of carbon dioxide emissions as they are today and how this compares to carbon dioxide emissions over a period of the last four decades. It is hoped that the results will show a decrease in these emissions. If this is not the case, then that information needs to be collected so that plans can be made to formulate ideas for the future.

Hypothesis:

The hypothesis is that evidence will show that carbon dioxide emissions have in fact decreased over the last forty years. It will prove that there is still a great deal of progress to be made.

Results:

After investigating this issue, it is proven that carbon dioxide emissions have indeed decreased but that they are still at frighteningly high levels and further attempts must be made to find other renewable energy sources or it is likely that the world as we know it will end. According to the United States Energy Information Association, a report published in August 2012 showed that carbon emissions decreased by 2.4% in the year 2011 (U.S. 2012). However, this was after a 3.3% increase the year before. The year 2007 showed the greatest decreased in carbon emissions with a 7% decrease from the year before. This seems to be a positive development however given that there was still an increase in emissions as recently as 2010 is extremely disconcerting. Over the last forty years, carbon emissions have lowered after reaching a high in the 1970s and 1980s (Becker 2013). It is good, but as stated, this is not yet low enough.

Information Obtained: