A recent report on global atmospheric CO2 level has created a concern among the scientific community associated with global warming and climate change research. The report released by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on 9th of this month has stated that the daily average CO2 concentration has surpassed the level of 400 ppm as observed in the Mauna Loa Observatory at Hawaii Islands. As stated by NOAA, such a higher level has been reached for the first time in the last 800,000 years. The same has also been reported by another climate research group ‘Scripps Institute of Oceanography’ who has also added that similar concentration of the green house gas was present during the Pilocene Age, 3-5 million years ago.

The most significant aspect of this finding is that it depicts two important facts; firstly, the possible menace of global warming and associated climate change is on an increasing trend and secondly the global emission reduction is yet a long distance goal. Without a doubt, the continuous and ever increasing burning of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas across the world is the largest contributor towards increased CO2 level. NOAA report also includes that the decadal growth rate of CO2 concentration has risen to 2.1 ppm from a mere 0.7 ppm during the 1950s. Being a green house gas, the elevated level of carbon-di-oxide is necessarily a cause of concern if we talk in terms of global warming. Simultaneously, we can also expect more and more climatic anomalies in terms of altered pattern of rainfall, wind, higher numbers of cyclones, cloud burst, hailstorms, drought, flood etc. Similarly, warming will also have an impact on our sea level through the melting of glaciers and polar ice caps thereby affecting the low lying areas. Such anomalies in the weather pattern are feared to increase the challenge lying ahead of the world community with respect to food security. That is because, the sole food producing activity, agriculture is largely dependant on climate. This is more than a reality for a country like India, where more than seventy percent of the agriculture is rainfed or climate dependant. Not only that, the same will also have a negative impact on allied activities like fish rearing, marine food industries and so on. So, a probable increase of climate change events will directly put a question on the equation of feeding the 7 billion stomach of the world. This particular challenge has made emission reduction a much aspired goal for the global community in this 21st century.
Latest climate negotiations, ranged from Kyoto Protocol, 1997 to the latest Doha agreement, 2012 are the representations of notably failed attempts on the part of the nations towards global CO2 emission reduction in reality. While Kyoto Protocol has failed to bind the countries into a legal agreement towards emission reduction, its success lied in identifying the contribution of industrialized countries towards global warming. On the other hand, the latest Doha conference was also unable to suggest some kind of solid, legally binding solutions to cut off the emission from the countries. It significantly brought out two real facts of the scenario - the developed countries are unwilling to curtail their emission and the developing or under developed countries lack sufficient fund to invest in emission reduction technologies. However, Doha’s success lies in the fact that it opened a ‘gateway’ to investments by the richer countries on poorer ones to reduce the emission.
So, the new report of NOAA will certainly increase the pressure on the global community to achieve a modest reduction in their green house gas emission rate, either individually i.e. country wise or internationally. But, till date all these international climate discussions and negotiations have come under the scanner due to the differences among the countries in terms of their ideologies and policies, be it a political or economic one. However, the latest findings have emphasized one particular point. The point is that we need a global cooperative and cumulative effort to reduce atmospheric CO2 level irrespective of our political and economic ideology, if at all we are interested in keeping the increment of global temperature below 20 Celsius. Other wise, not much time is left for the globe to be a heart-wracked witness of an impending doom symbolized with its degenerated biodiversity, degraded ecological systems, reduced food availability, increased disease incidence and a dead environment.

(Your discussion and Comment in this topic can help us to find out a way to combat the rising CO2 level in our own country. So please spread the discussion and share your views.You can view this post and add your comments on my blog ' GreeningThought @http://greeningthought.wordpress.com/)

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Comments

  • good article .

  • A very good article about Atmospheric Carbon dioxide and Global Warming!

  • Yet we shall never learn

  • since the time of kyoto protocol- its amendments, it is obvious that the expected reduction is not possible within the time frame. Its a long term process and by the time all the control measures come into effect  the sources may change. Even carbon trading, which was meant for a global distribution of CO2 is selling more than actual emissions units that can be traded and sold under the Kyoto Protocol’s emissions trading scheme. So a better approach is giving more importance to carbon sequestration side by side to curbing emissions. This can be done through educating children and society on environmental awareness.

  • Its an undisputed fact that ambient CO2 concentrations are increasing and reached 400ppm. Since we cannot stop this phenomenon, we can think of reducing the levels of CO2 in the Atmosphere. Environmental awareness(EW) of the general public will certainly come to our rescue and every citizen should consider involving in this process. Apart from EW we should also encourage green technologies, promote non conventional energy resources and 4R technology to reduce the CO2 concentrations in the ambient Air.

  • It is a natural fact that the CO2 concentration is increasing. However, as you said it, we are racing towards an impending doom without even considering the possibilities of the catastrophes to befall. It has already begun as well. The average temperatures in all cities have gone up by at least 1 - 2 degrees.

    Even so, the so called government is culling trees like chickens. Not even bothering to relocate. If we dont have any carbondioxide absorbers, where the hell do they think there are gonna get the oxygen from? Burning the money?

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