How have greenhouse gas levels in our atmosphere changed since the Industrial Revolution?
Since pre-industrial times, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) have climbed by more than 36 percent, 148 percent, and 18 percent, respectively (see the Recent Atmospheric Change page on EPAs Climate Change site for more details). Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have added a significant amount of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, primarily by burning fossil fuels, logging forests, and other industrial and land-use activities. Scientists have confirmed that the recent increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations is primarily due to human activity.
