1 / 6 1. The unprecedented recent increase in carbon emissions.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights six main lines of <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_LONGERREPORT.pdf">evidence for climate change</a>.<br><br>First, we have tracked (see chart) the unprecedented recent increase in the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/CarbonCycle/page4.php">since the beginning of the industrial revolution.</a> <br><br>Without human interference, the carbon in fossil fuels would leak slowly into the atmosphere through volcanic activity over millions of years in the slow carbon cycle. By burning coal, oil, and natural gas, we accelerate the process, releasing vast amounts of carbon (carbon that took millions of years to accumulate) into the atmosphere every year.

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