Carbon dioxide emissions are warming the planet Rupert Oberhauser / Alamy
Carbon dioxide is uniquely suited to cause global warming because of a coincidental quirk of quantum mechanics.
Global warming is largely caused by carbon dioxide and other gases absorbing infrared radiation, trapping heat in Earth’s atmosphere – known as the greenhouse effect.
The most accurate climate models use precise measurements of the amount of radiation CO₂ can absorb to calculate how much heat will be trapped in the atmosphere.…
