"Bawana" wrote Nothing of Consequence.

Meanwhile as the Globe continues to warm...


CO2 in air grows fast: study Mon Oct 22, 5:22 PM ET


WASHINGTON (AFP) - Economic growth has made carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
increase much faster than expected, as trees and oceans struggle to absorb
the
greenhouse gas, scientists said in a study published Monday.

"Atmospheric carbon dioxide growth has increased 35 percent faster than
expected
since 2000," said a statement from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), one
of
the bodies involved in the research.

Inefficient use of fuels increased CO2 by 17 percent, while the other 18
percent
was due to a decline in the efficiency of natural "sinks," the forests and
seas
that soak up the gas from the atmosphere, it said.

"Fifty years ago, for every tonne of CO2 emitted, 600 kilograms (1,300
pounds)
were removed by natural sinks. In 2006 only 550 kilograms were removed per
tonne
and that amount is falling," said the study's lead author, Pep Canadell of
the
Global Carbon Project, in a statement.

"The proportion of carbon dioxide remaining in the atmosphere after
vegetation
and the oceans absorb what they can has escalated over the past 50 years,
showing a decrease in the planet's ability to absorb anthropogenic
(human-made)
emissions."

Almost 10 billion tons of carbon were emitted worldwide in 2006 -- 35
percent
more than in 1990, the study found. The landmark Kyoto Protocol agreement
committed countries to cut world greenhouse gas emissions five percent below
the
1990 level by 2012.

"Improvements in the carbon intensity of the global economy have stalled
since
2000 after improving for 30 years, leading to the unexpected growth of
atmospheric CO2," the BAS said.

"The decline in global sink efficiency suggests that stabilization of
atmospheric CO2 is even more difficult to achieve than previously thought,"
said
one of the study's authors, Corinne Le Quere, in the BAS statement.

The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences in the United States.

Most of the authors are members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, the Nobel Prize-winning United Nations body which has made key
reports
on climate change for world leaders.