CO2 Archives - State of the Planet

wetland in indiana

For Wetland Plants, Sea Level Rise Stamps Out Benefits of Higher CO2

The beneficial effects of rising CO2 for plants disappear 
under flooding, a 33-year field experiment reveals.

by |May 19, 2022
home thermostat in grey scale

Beyond Climate Change: What Happens Once We Control the Global Thermostat?

We’re developing the tools to slow and reverse climate change. If we succeed, our species will be managing the planet’s atmosphere indefinitely.

by Kevin Webb |December 14, 2021
aerial view of smoke from a power plant

How Exactly Does Carbon Dioxide Cause Global Warming?

CO2 molecules make up only a small percentage of the atmosphere, but their impact on our climate is huge. The reason comes down to physics and chemistry.

by |February 25, 2021
angel munoz in a vineyard

You Asked: How Does Carbon Dioxide Get So High Up Into the Atmosphere?

If CO2 is heavier than oxygen, why doesn’t it stay near the ground? The short answer: Earth’s atmosphere isn’t like a sealed bottle of wine.

by |September 23, 2020
coal power plant, Affordable Clean Energy Rule

You Asked: If CO2 Is Only 0.04% of the Atmosphere, How Does it Drive Global Warming?

Short answer: A little bit goes a long way.

by |July 30, 2019

Capturing Carbon’s Potential: These Companies Are Turning CO2 into Profits

Researchers and businesses are finding innovative ways to use carbon dioxide captured from power plants or the air.

by |May 29, 2019

You Asked: What Determines the Oxygen and CO2 Levels in Our Atmosphere?

An Earth Institute climate researcher breaks down why our atmosphere is the way it is, how it’s changed over time, and what the future may hold.

by |April 22, 2019

Why Thawing Permafrost Matters

As the Arctic warms, the unfreezing of permafrost poses a threat to the planet.

by |January 11, 2018

The Carbon Vault

The skin of the Earth is the color of tar,
Ridged, freshly healed like the seams of a scar.
Through salt-spattered sky, a gray-winged gull sails;
Steam gently rises, the island exhales.

by |June 10, 2016

Solving the Mysteries of Carbon Dioxide

About 50 percent of the CO2 produced by human activity remains in the atmosphere, warming the planet. But scientists don’t know where and how oceans and plants have absorbed the rest of the manmade CO2. To try to answer these questions, on July 2, 2014, NASA launched the $468 million Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), its first Earth remote sensing satellite dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide from space.

by |July 30, 2014