6.2.2—Anthropogenic CO₂ emissions

Emissions are a flow added over time; atmospheric CO₂ concentration is the stock left after emissions and natural removals are combined.

Anthropogenic CO2 emissions began raising atmospheric concentration from the Industrial Revolution in late 18th-century Europe; the global emission rate accelerated especially after 1950 as industrialization and population increased. Concentration still rises whenever total emissions exceed ocean and ecosystem removal.

If annual emissions fall but remain greater than removals, atmospheric CO2 continues to increase more slowly; concentration falls only when removals exceed emissions for long enough.

Use both views: the historical timeline identifies the human source, while the stock–flow balance explains why slower emissions growth is not the same as falling concentration.

Do not confuse a lower inflow with a smaller stock. A bathtub still fills when the tap slows unless the drain removes water faster than the tap adds it.