"Visualizing One Year of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Accumulation"

French physicist Joseph Fourier discovered the greenhouse effect in the 1820s, realizing that certain gases like carbon dioxide and water vapor trap infrared light, causing Earth to retain extra heat. NASA's satellites track the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere over the course of 2021, showing that despite natural absorption by oceans and plants, CO2 levels continue to rise. With atmospheric CO2 levels surpassing 420 parts per million today, efforts to mitigate global warming focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing their absorption, but no single solution exists. As Earth grapples with the effects of a warmer planet, the bicentennial of humanity's awareness of the greenhouse effect serves as a reminder of the ongoing battle against global warming.