Planet Earth goes through cycles in every aspect of its environment, from temperature, to water levels, to carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. There has always been a limit to the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The Earth is like a human body. If a human being does not take care of his body through healthy eating and workouts, he becomes unhealthy and may have health problems. As is the case with the Earth, if the Earth absorbs more heat than it can emit, or vice versa, global climate change will occur. This begs the question: What could be causing these imbalances on Earth? Earth's carbon levels have followed a natural cycle over the past 800,000 years in which carbon dioxide concentrations ranged from 180 ppm (parts per million) to 280 ppm, resulting in numerous changes. in the environment.. In the grand scheme of the Earth, these changes are tiny and have remained within the natural cycle. But looking through the eyes of humans, these changes are drastic causing ice ages, droughts, and rain for years (Goldstein 6). During the last century, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have become significantly higher than at any time in the last 800,000 years. Today these levels are at 390 ppm and show no signs of stopping, which will cause temperatures to rise because carbon is a greenhouse gas. When a greenhouse gas, such as carbon dioxide or water vapor, is present in the atmosphere, it absorbs the heat emitted by the Earth, creating a thermal blanket over the Earth that traps the heat (Houghton 20). Now that the problem has been identified, determining the source of the problem becomes much easier. The human population is growing exponentially, in 1990 there were approximately 5.2 billion people or...... middle of paper ......impressive speeds, but at what cost? Is rapid industrialization more important than efficient production methods? After human involvement, carbon levels in the atmosphere increased by approximately 36%, from a high of 280 ppm to a whopping 390 ppm (Houghton 37). To test whether fossil fuel emissions are responsible for rising carbon levels in the atmosphere, scientists compared emissions from the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. They found that about 95% of fossil fuels burned are in the Northern Hemisphere, and comparing atmospheric levels in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres shows that the Northern Hemisphere is generally 2 ppm higher than the Southern Hemisphere. Clearly there is an imbalance between carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the natural resources involved in reducing those emissions due to human interference.