Greenhouse Gases Hit Record in 2005 - 2006

Climate Change, Anthropocene, & Associated Issues

Mongabay.com reported on May 1, 2006 that levels of gases believed to be fueling global warming continued to climb in 2005 according to analysis released by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The agency said its index of greenhouse gases — the Annual Greenhouse Gas Index or AGGI — showed an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide but a leveling off of methane, and a decline in two chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), gases that contribute to the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica. NOAA reports that overall, the AGGI “shows a continuing, steady rise in the amount of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.”

The index is referenced to a baseline value of 1.00 for the greenhouse gas levels that were present in the atmosphere in 1990. In 2005, the AGGI stood at 1.215, or 21.5 percent higher than 1990. The index reflects increasing concentrations of gases that trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere. NOAA said that most of the increase is due to rising CO₂, which now accounts for about 62 percent of the radiative warming caused by all long-lived greenhouse gases.

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