2B. Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide & Global Surface Temperature Trends
The recent increase in concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the result of human activities, mainly the burning of fossil fuels. As the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased, so has the average surface temperature of the earth.
The relationship between atmospheric CO2 concentration and surface temperature is shown here for the past 150 years. To see this relationship over the past 400,000 years, go to figure 2C. To understand how this relationship works, view figure 1A.
