Coral reefs and CO2 emissions

Humankind has become ever more reliant upon the burning of fossil fuels to power homes, industry and transportation. When coupled to cement production, gas flaring and deforestation, the effect has been anthropogenic increases in the emission, and atmospheric concentration, of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The scale of this is recorded by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the Fourth Assessment Report. ¹ Global emissions of CO₂ due to human activities grew between 1970 and 2004 by about 80 per cent. ² Indeed, from a value of 280ppm before industrialisation began (regarded as 1750) CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere reached 379ppm by 2005. ³ Such concentrations are now believed to be around 387ppm. ⁴ Furthermore, according to current policies and practice, anthropogenic emissions of CO₂ due to energy use will continue to grow between 2000 and 2030 by 40–110 per cent; two-thirds to three-quarters of which will come from developing counties. ⁵ CO₂ concentrations would therefore reach 450ppm around 2030–2040. ⁶