In this Sunday’s first reading the prophet Daniel relates a vision in which he “saw one like the Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven." Such a vision today might be clouded by the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which hit a record high in 2011, according to a report Tuesday from the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Chief among these heat-trapping gases is carbon dioxide, the biggest culprit behind global warming.

The international body estimates that about 413 billion tons of carbon have been released into the atmosphere since 1750, primarily from fossil fuel combustion. About half of this atmospheric carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere, and much of it will linger for centuries, causing the planet to warm further, WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud warned.

Historically, the Earth's oceans and forests have helped balance the atmosphere's carbon equation by sucking up large amounts of the greenhouse gas. But “this will not necessarily continue in the future," Jarraud said. "We have already seen that the oceans are becoming more acidic as a result of the carbon dioxide uptake, with potential repercussions for the underwater food chain and coral reefs.”

Greenhouse gases trap heat within the Earth's atmosphere and create a warming effect on the climate known as radiative forcing. From 1990 to 2011, radiative forcing by greenhouse gases shot up 30 percent, with carbon dioxide blamed for about 80 percent of this increase, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Homily hint: The issue of global warming hardly came up in the recent election campaign—that is, until Hurricane Sandy caused widespread destruction on the eastern seaboard. The feast of Christ the King provides an opportunity to talk about how we need to be good stewards of Christ’s dominions entrusted to us on this earth.

Source: An article by LifeScience.com