Oceans, forests absorb 50% of our carbon footprint

If you think we’re emitting a lot of carbon dioxide, you have no idea.

In fact, whatever emissions we have been releasing only account for about half of the actual level of greenhouse gases that are being generated from human activity.

The other half, it turns out, are being absorbed by the oceans as well as forests and other ecosystems throughout the planet.

The findings have been documented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NOAA researcher Pieter Tans wrote, “Globally, these carbon dioxide ‘sinks’ have roughly kept pace with emissions from human activities, continuing to draw about half of the emitted CO2 back out of the atmosphere. However, we do not expect this to continue indefinitely.”

Of course, the fact that the planet’s average temperature is increasing has pretty much been accepted by everyone except the most radical skeptics.

Where the real divide in this country lies is with the question of whether or not this is because of human activity. Much of the debate is needlessly focused on the climate numbers when it should be exclusively on what the cause is.

After all, this planet went from being covered in ice to being completely thawed out thousands of years ago, and we didn’t even have internal combustion engines back then.

However, even global warming skeptics agree that we need to look for alternative energy sources. There are many other reasons why that is a necessity in this day and age. Statistics like this only help to prove that.