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Dr. James Hansen at the International Climate Summit in Paris, 2015

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Climate Impact of Increasing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

From the Journal of Science

28 August 1981, Volume 213, Number 4511

James Hansen et al.

Greenhouse Effect

Atmospheric CO2 increased from 280 to 300 parts per million in 1880 to 335 to 340 ppm in 1980, mainly due to burning of fossil fuels....

Summary. The global temperature rose by 0.20C between the middle 1960’s and1980, yielding a warming of 0.4°C in the past century. This temperature increase is consistent with the calculated greenhouse effect due to measured increases of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Variations of volcanic aerosols and possibly solar luminosity appear to be primary causes of observed fluctuations about the mean trend of increasing temperature. It is shown that the anthropogenic carbon dioxide warming should emerge from the noise level of natural climate variability by the end of the century, and there is a high probability of warming in the 1980’s. Potential effects on climate in the 21st century include the creation of drought-prone regions in North America and central Asia as part of a shifting of climatic zones, erosion of the West Antarctic ice sheet with a consequent worldwide rise in sea level, and opening of the fabled Northwest Passage.

• https://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/1981/1981_Hansen_ha04600x.pdf

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James Hansen and Peter Cox (PBS Airdate: April 18, 2006)

Watch the Video / Read the Transcript

• https://youtu.be/bEAfsfDxTo0

• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/3310_sun.html

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