Summary: Changes in the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), influence Earth’s temperature. Geologic records show that Earth has been both much cooler and much warmer in the past compared to today, but this change in temperature was driven by a gradual rate of change in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The rate of modern day increases in CO2 is unprecedented in human history and will have serious consequences in the near future and beyond, in terms of climate change, sea level rise, and species extinctions. Solutions to mitigate global warming are costly and challenging to implement.
