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Learning English - Words in the News 15 March, 2006 - Published 14:51 GMT Big rise in CO2 | ||||||||||||
US climate scientists in Colorado have recorded a big rise in the amount of carbon dioxide in the world's atmosphere. Their research indicates that 2005 saw one of the largest increases ever recorded. David Shukman reports from Colorado: Carbon dioxide is seen as the key gas driving global warming so its level is monitored very closely. Samples of air are gathered all over the world and sent here to Boulder in Colorado to the US government's global monitoring project. Studies show that the level of carbon dioxide now stands at three hundred and eighty one parts per million. That's a record, according to the researchers. It's the result of one of the largest annual increases for the past fifty years and it confirms a trend - that the rate of increase has doubled in the last thirty years. We asked the British government's chief scientist for his reaction. Sir David King says the new figures are worrying. Today we're at three hundred and eighty parts per million, we're over three eighty parts a million. This is higher than the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere for at least a million years, possibly for thirty million years. So mankind is changing the climate. This sharp increase comes just as the Kyoto Treaty takes effect. It's meant to bring carbon emissions down. The evidence of this new data is clear though - that efforts to curb the rise in greenhouse gases are, for the moment, failing, and the consequences that climate scientists have long warned about look far more likely. key global warming level monitored That's a record it confirms a trend mankind Kyoto Treaty takes effect curb have long warned about Do a comprehension quiz about this story |
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