The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is constantly rising due to human activities, the continuous increase in production and consumption, work and the excessive use of fossil fuels.
According to data compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the rate of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has hovered around 200 to 280 ppm (parts per million) for the last 400 thousand years before the industrialization period.
While the value of carbon dioxide, one of the main gases causing the greenhouse effect, was approximately 291 ppm in 1880, this value increased by 45 percent to 421 ppm in 2023.
“The global temperature has increased by more than 1 degree Celsius since the 1800s”
Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Department of Meteorological Engineering Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Toros said that the number of particles in the atmosphere did not increase much until the industrial revolution and that this amount was below 300 ppm.
Stating that human activities increase the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere every year, Toros said, “People use fossil fuels that have accumulated underground for millions of years. Since the 1800s, the use of fossil fuels has increased energy production, increasing energy production, developing technologies have made fossil fuels faster and more easily accessible. Access to more fossil fuels, more production, pollution of the atmosphere has led to a rapid increase in the rate of carbon dioxide.”
Prof. Dr. Toros pointed out that the increase in carbon dioxide rate affects many climatic events and said, “It affects hot and cold air waves, flood disasters, melting of glaciers, and rising water levels in the ocean. We see the biggest effect of the increase in carbon dioxide in the temperature increase. When we look at the 1800s to the present day, the temperature on a global scale has increased by more than 1 degree.”
Underlining the need to reduce the rate of carbon emitted into the atmosphere, Toros continued as follows:
“Resources need to be used efficiently to be passed on to the next generation. We need to reduce the use of fossil fuels. We need to use renewable energy sources more efficiently and more. We also need to save money. We should not buy products we do not need. We need to use artificial intelligence to anticipate possible risks. Both governments, local authorities and individuals have a role to play here. The rate of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to increase every year. The rate of carbon dioxide, which was 290 ppm in 1880, reached 421 ppm at the end of this December. In other words, there has been a 45 percent increase.”
“We need to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere”
Emphasizing that the main energy source of the earth is the sun, Toros stated that short-wavelength radiation from the sun passes easily through the gases in the atmosphere.
Prof. Dr. Toros explained that as the rate of carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere, the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases the amount of long-wavelength radiation emitted from the earth’s surface and said, “As the amount of retention increases, the earth warms up. Therefore, we need to reduce the rate of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If we do this, our world will not warm up more.”
