Humans put over 72 trillion pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.
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Since the age of industrialization, CO2 emissions have skyrocketed.
To stabilize concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere, the world needs to reach net-zero emissions. Yet at a time when global emissions need to be rapidly falling, CO2 emissions are in fact still rising, as the chart here shows.
Source: OUR WORLD IN DATA
Annual total CO2 emissions, by world region
Fossil fuels and cement production CO2 emissions only—land use change not included
As a result, average global temperatures are rapidly rising.
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Temperatures will continue to rise unless dramatic action is taken.
Human emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are a primary driver of climate change. This link between global temperatures and greenhouse gas concentrations – especially CO2 – has been true throughout Earth’s history. If we don’t reverse this trend, global warming threatens to substantially change the planet over the next several decades.
Source: OUR WORLD IN DATA
Average temperature anomaly, Global
Global average land-sea temperature anomaly relative to the 1961-1990 average temperature
For the sake of our future, this excess CO2 needs to be removed.
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