Carbon Dioxide Levels Hit Record High, Methane Levels Flat in 2006
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles 
on 11.24.07
Image courtesy of Britannica
Few eyebrows will likely be raised by the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) latest report, which concluded that levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide hit record highs last year. According to the report, carbon dioxide levels rose 0.53% from 2005 to 381.2 ppm while nitrous oxide levels, third among greenhouse gas emissions, rose 0.25% from 2006 to 320 ppb - 36% and 19% above pre-industrial times, respectively.
Perhaps surprisingly - given the recent discovery of significant new sources of methane in arctic regions - the report also found that methane levels actually dipped slightly, 0.06% from 2005 to 1,782 ppb (which is still 155% higher than pre-industrial times). Geir Braathen, WMO's senior scientific officer, explained that scientists' fears that widespread permafrost thawing in Siberia would drastically increase methane concentrations haven't been borne out by the data, a sentiment echoed in an op-ed written by Russian scientist Dmitry Zamolodchikov.
While it is possible that methane's impact on global warming may have been overstated, it's likely that the data used in the report doesn't yet encompass the figures obtained in some of the newest studies - many of which estimate that up to 500 Gt of the gas could be trapped within Siberia's permafrost layers. Moreover, there may be other sources of methane that have simply not yet been identified. Zamolodchikov may be right to point out that, in the short term at least, methane may not influence global warming much; over the next few centuries, however, this could well change.
How much of it and how long it will take for this vast amount of methane to be released remains unclear - possibly hundreds of Gt within the span of several centuries. What is evident is that carbon dioxide still has the edge in effecting global warming - according to Braathen, it contributed 91% of the total greenhouse gas heating effect in the past 5 years.
Via ::Reuters: Carbon dioxide at record high, stoking warming: WMO (news website), ::Green Car Congress: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels Highest Ever Recorded (blog)
See also: ::Major Source of Atmospheric Methane Identified Near Arctic Lakes, ::CO2 Highest For 650000 Years, ::Carbon Dioxide Production Much Faster than Originally Anticipated
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Even if you don't be leave in global warming we should at least be concerned about our kids future will they have clean air to breath and clean water to drink and we know carbon dioxide is poisonous in large amount. So we should conserve and at least reduce our dependency on phoren oil
What would make more sense is if we stopped speculating over statistics and started to actually act on climate change.
In respect to the first comment, anyone that denies global warming is just uneducated. The numbers are fact, and visual change is proof: the only thing is question is why it's happening.
My concern with increased methane levels is purely health. In large amounts the gas can kill someone. Will an increase, even if it is so sparse, have lasting effects on humans and animals? Could we all be having environmental headaches from a rise in methane? I don't know enough about the subject, so I just hope I'm wrong.
I could not agree more with Peter R's comment. The time for arguing over the facts is over. We are currently in a state of paralysis by analysis. In order to preserve a home for our children we must act quickly and decisively to reduce our impact on the world.