The recent trends in atmospheric concentration reveal that this greenhouse has level has been steadily increasing with time. For instance, the concentration of CO2 has been rising at a margin of 1.5ppm annually since 1970 up to the advent of the new millennium, although this annual rise in carbon dioxide concentration has so far risen to about 2.0ppm. The long-term trends have been driven by human activities emanating from the combustion of fossil fuels like coal and oil. Other incineration activities like the burning of carbon wastes have also contributed marginally to the rising CO2 concentration processes, which eventually increases the concentration of the gas in the atmosphere.
The driving force in the short-term trend in carbon dioxide concentration has been the periodic changes in the atmospheric temperature. This is caused by the natural changing seasons, which shift from summer to winter and vice versa. For instance, much of the carbon dioxide is dissolved in oceans during summer, thereby reducing the concentration of the same in the atmosphere, while in winter, the concentration increases as much of it are released from the oceans to the atmosphere.
The ecological consequences of the rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere include the melting of ice caps, the disappearance of coastal plains due to rising sea levels, and massive soil erosion of the natural habitats due to floods caused by erratic weather. Climate consequences include rising global temperature, changing weather patterns that are difficult to predict, and intense precipitation due to high evaporation rates.