"Total radiative forcing of all long-lived greenhouse gases was the CO2 
equivalent of 473 parts per million in 
2011."http://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr_965_en.html
Geneva, 20 November (WMO) – The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere 
reached a new record high in 2011, according to the World Meteorological 
Organization. Between 1990 and 2011 there was a 30% increase in radiative 
forcing – the warming effect on our climate – because of carbon dioxide (CO2) 
and other heat-trapping long-lived gases.
Since the start of the industrial era in 1750, about 375 billion tonnes of 
carbon have been released into the atmosphere as CO2, primarily from fossil 
fuel 
combustion, according to WMO’s 2011 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which had a 
special 
focus on the carbon cycle.  About half of this carbon dioxide remains in the 
atmosphere, with the rest being absorbed by the oceans and terrestrial 
biosphere.
“These billions of tonnes of additional carbon dioxide in our atmosphere will 
remain there for centuries, causing our planet to warm further and impacting on 
all aspects of life on earth,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. 
“Future emissions will only compound the situation.”
“Until now, carbon sinks have absorbed nearly half of the carbon dioxide humans 
emitted in the atmosphere, but this will not necessarily continue in the 
future. 
We have already seen that the oceans are becoming more acidic as a result of 
the 
carbon dioxide uptake, with potential repercussions for the underwater food 
chain and coral reefs. There are many additional interactions between 
greenhouse 
gases, Earth’s biosphere and oceans, and we need to boost our monitoring 
capability and scientific knowledge in order to better understand these,” said 
Mr Jarraud.
“WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch network, spanning more than 50 countries, 
provides accurate measurements which form the basis of our understanding of 
greenhouse gas concentrations, including their many sources, sinks and chemical 
transformations in the atmosphere,” said Mr Jarraud.
The role of carbon sinks is pivotal in the overall carbon equation. If the 
extra 
CO2 emitted is stored in reservoirs such as the deep oceans, it could be 
trapped 
for hundreds or even thousands of years. By contrast, new forests retain carbon 
for a much shorter time span.
The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reports on atmospheric concentrations – and not 
emissions - of greenhouse gases. Emissions represent what goes into the 
atmosphere. Concentrations represent what remains in the atmosphere after the 
complex system of interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere and the oceans.
CO2 is the most important of the long-lived greenhouse gases – so named because 
they trap radiation within the Earth’s atmosphere causing it to warm. Human 
activities, such as fossil fuel burning and land use change (for instance, 
tropical deforestation), are the main sources of the anthropogenic carbon 
dioxide in the atmosphere. The other main long-lived greenhouse gases are 
methane and nitrous oxide. Increasing concentrations of the greenhouse gases in 
the atmosphere are drivers of climate change.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Annual Greenhouse Gas 
Index, quoted in the bulletin, shows that from 1990 to 2011, radiative forcing 
by long-lived greenhouse gases increased by 30%, with CO2 accounting for about 
80% of this increase. Total radiative forcing of all long-lived greenhouse 
gases 
was the CO2 equivalent of 473 parts per million in 2011.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Carbon dioxide is the single most important greenhouse gas emitted by human 
activities. It is responsible for 85% of the increase in radiative forcing over 
the past decade. According to WMO’s bulletin, the amount of CO2 in the 
atmosphere reached 390.9 parts per million in 2011, or 140% of the 
pre-industrial level of 280 parts per million.
The pre-industrial era level represented a balance of CO2 fluxes between the 
atmosphere, the oceans and the biosphere. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere 
has increased on average by 2 parts per million per year for the past 10 years.

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