Climate Change

Climate change is a large and pressing issue our world is currently facing due to the rapid warming of Earth's atmosphere. This warming has been accelerated by the increased emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide by humans. As more greenhouse gases accumulate, the greenhouse effect intensifies, which involves heat being trapped in the atmosphere. Without change to make our world more ecofriendly, the Earth may reach a tipping point beyond which it can never be restored to normal. (Click on any of the images on this website to be taken to information pages.)

Year CO2 Emissions (Million Metric Tons) Year CO2 Emissions (Million Metric Tons)
1900 600 1960 2,400
1910 900 1970 3,900
1920 1,000 1980 5,400
1930 1,000 1990 6,000
1940 1,200 2000 6,600
1950 1,500 2010 9,600
Source: EPA