Carbon dioxide (CO2) makes up about 0.04% of the Earth's atmosphere
. This percentage is relatively small, but it plays a significant role in the greenhouse effect and climate change. The increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations is primarily due to human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is currently at nearly 412 parts per million (ppm) and rising
. This represents a 47% increase since the beginning of the Industrial Age, when the concentration was near 280 ppm, and an 11% increase since 2000, when it was near 370 ppm
