Photo via Wikimedia

Photo via Wikimedia

The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2013, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.

The report found that the carbon dioxide levels rose more between 2012 and 2013 than during any other year since 1983. In 2013, concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere were 142% of what they were before the Industrial Revolution.

The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the U.S. is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2012, 28 percent of greenhouse gas emissions came from transportation. More than 90 percent of the fuel used for transportation is petroleum based, which includes gasoline and diesel.

Experts warned that the world was “running out of time” to not only reverse global warming but also to slow the rate of ocean acidification.

The increased CO2 levels are making it harder for the world’s oceans to absorb according to the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP).

Scientists point out the effects of the increased levels of greenhouse gases are increased temperature, rising sea levels and disruption of natural ecosystems.

Originally posted on Automotive Fleet

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