Carbon in the Atmosphere

Keeling Curve

Nature can no longer mitigate the extra carbon that human activities are emitting into the atmosphere.

In the past, the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has varied within a certain range. However, this graph clearly shows an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

The Keeling curve documents the observed increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration since 1958. The annual oscillation in the graph is explained by a decrease during the vegetative growing season in the Northern hemisphere and an increase in the winter months when plants are dormant and natural and anthropogenic carbon dioxide contributions to the atmosphere continue.