Climate Facts: Industrial activities increased atmospheric carbon dioxide by nearly 50%, says NASA

The complexities of climate change and its associated jargon can make it difficult to digest. TheCable’s climate quick facts will help to demystify these climate concepts through easy-to-understand and straight-to-the-point explanations.

Here are some to keep at the tip of your fingers:

• Modern industrial activities have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by nearly 50 percent since 1750, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), emissions of greenhouse gases warm the climate while emissions of pollution particles – aerosols –which have a cooling effect, partly mask the warming.
• Over 90 percent of East African coral reefs are projected to be destroyed by bleaching at 2°C, according to IPCC.
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says 30 percent of the world’s population is exposed to deadly heat waves more than 20 days a year.
• One million animals and plants face extinctions as the world loses different species at a rate of 1,000 times greater than at any other time in recorded human history due to climate change, says UNEP.