Can the current increase in carbon dioxide level in Earth’s atmosphere be attributable to natural variation and not human activity? Why or why not?
What will be an ideal response?
ANSWER: The record of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the last 800,000 years is based on air trapped in Greenland and Antarctic ice cores. Carbon dioxide levels in the distant past appear to be cyclic, showing variation from less than 200 to almost 300 parts per million (ppm). The current increase in carbon dioxide cannot be natural variation because the post-industrial levels of carbon dioxide are far higher than at any time during the past 800,000 years.?
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