By: Matthew Oldfield Freelancer
Recently, a viral trend showed that the Earth’s CO2 ratings (carbon dioxide) reached over 400 ppm (parts per million) with some environment officials saying that the Earth’s atmosphere has reached the point where the carbon emissions will not return to the way they were before the industrial revolution. 
Thanks to pockets of air found under icebergs, scientists are aware that the rate of carbon emissions, before the 1950s, was under 300 ppm. In a report done by NASA on May 23, 2013, they stated that we had reached around 395 to 400 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere. The facts show that we’ve been at 400 ppm for the past three years and that it has gone down slightly, but it’s now come to the point where it’s going past 400 ppm.
The current rate of Earth’s carbon emissions have caused a rapid change. With the current climate getting warmer, faster than predicted, the Environmental Protection Agency’s website has noted that sea levels, in the American area, are raising in southern areas while northern areas are lowering. This could also have effects on the northern environment as well. With the ice melting in the north, the growth of the algae has started to shrink causing shrinkage in the amount of zooplankton, arctic cod, seals and polar bears. With the rise in carbon emissions, the facts show they’re at a much higher point than ever, and could still climb higher in an even shorter span of time. If we can’t find a way to lower the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, soon the Earth could look a lot different from the way we know it.
Contact the author at moldfield14@mail.wou.edu
