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Changes in the phasing of seasonal cycles of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere mark the time when a region becomes a source or a sink of CO2. One study of such changes prompts thought-provoking conclusions.

We are currently getting a 50% discount on the climatic impact of our fossil-fuel emissions. Since 1957, and the beginning of the Mauna Loa record of atmospheric carbon dioxide, only about half of the CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel combustion have remained in the atmosphere, with the other half being taken up by the land and ocean.