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Greenhouse gases hit record in 2005 mongabay.com May 1, 2006 Levels of gases believed to be fueling global warming continued to climb in 2005 according to analysis released by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The index is referenced to a baseline value of 1.00 for the greenhouse gas levels that were present in the atmosphere in 1990. In 2005, the AGGI stood at 1.215, or 21.5 percent higher than 1990. The index reflects increasing concentrations of gases that trap heat in Earth's atmosphere. NOAA said that most of the increase is due to rising CO2, which now accounts for about 62 percent of the radiative warming caused by all long-lived greenhouse gases.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a U.N. body charged with studying climate change, projects that atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels could reach 450-550 ppm by 2050, possibly resulting in higher temperatures and rising sea levels, along with a myriad of potential impacts ranging from increased storm and hurricane intensity; melting of polar ice, Arctic permafrost, and glaciers; changes in ocean currents including the Gulf Stream; increased coral bleaching and mortality of reef ecosystems; changes in ecosystems; species migration and mass extinction, especially among cold climate species; heightened danger from human pollutants like ozone; health impacts including the spread of tropical disease into cooler climates and range expansion of other pathogens; and water shortages. The NOAA announcement comes two weeks after the Environmental Protection Agency released figures showing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions hit record levels in 2004. Greenhouse gases, which result from fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, are seen by most scientists as the principle force behind global warming. Last week at a meeting of meteorologists in California, scientists said that last year's record storm and hurricane season was likely the result of increased global temperatures. They warned that the intensity of storms will likely increase in the future.
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