Back to the story...Climate Debate

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Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide -- the most abundant of the greenhouse gases -- have consistently risen in the last 100 years, but Balling said in the last 10 years the levels have curiously leveled off. "We are still pumping all kinds of CO₂ into the atmosphere, but it seems we are seeing a biological response," he said. "The biosphere is inhaling CO₂ faster than ever before, and is actually being stimulated by higher CO₂ levels. Consequently, CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere aren't increasing as fast as we previously thought."