Researchers warn today's greenhouse gas emissions will be felt for several hundred years

Apr 14, 2014 17:41 GMT  ·  By
Specialists warn today's greenhouse gas emissions will not be all that easy to get rid of
   Specialists warn today's greenhouse gas emissions will not be all that easy to get rid of

Professor Anders Hammer Strømman with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology warns that, according to evidence at hand, whatever greenhouse gas emissions human society releases into the planet's atmosphere these day will be felt for several hundred years.

More precisely, the researcher, who also happens to be one of the authors of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, says that, of the carbon dioxide emissions that make it into the environment in this day and age, 15-40% will still be around 1,000 years from now.

All things considered, this might mean that future generations probably will not like us as much as we might want them to, some might want to argue.

"In 1,000 years, between 15 and 40 per cent of the CO2 we emit today will still be left in the atmosphere. We are talking about effects 30 generations ahead. This is something people need to take to heart now,” Professor Anders Hammer Strømman says, as cited by Science Daily.

Together with other specialists working with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chance, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology climate researcher believes that the key to limiting climate change and global warming is changing one's behavior.

Thus, people should not just sit around waiting for high officials to take care of these issues for them, and instead focus on improving on their ecological footprint by embracing sustainability.

As of recently, global greenhouse gas emissions have increased at a rate of about 2% per year. It is estimated that, in order to limit global warming to just 2 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) when compared to pre-industrial era by 2100, they need to be brought down at a rate of 3-6% per year.