Scientists have known for quite some time that atmospheric CO2 influences the earth's natural energy balance, meaning the balance between incoming sun energy and outgoing heat from the earth. The effect had never been directly observed outside the laboratory, until now.

A team of U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists discovered proof by measuring CO2's heat-trapping ability over 11 years at two sites: one in Oklahoma and the other located on the North Slope of Alaska, according to a news release.

Between 2000 and 2010, atmospheric CO2 surged by an astonishing 22 parts-per-million, due largely to the burning of fossil fuels, according to researchers. The research team used spectroscopic instruments to measure radiative forcing -- the rate at which the atmosphere warms up -- to prove it contributed to the greenhouse gas effect.

The study shows radiative forcing has increased two-tenths of a Watt per square meter per decade because of the recent spike in atmospheric CO2. While it may not sound like a lot, it's significant.

"We see, for the first time in the field, the amplification of the greenhouse effect because there's more CO2 in the atmosphere to absorb what the Earth emits in response to incoming solar radiation," said Daniel Feldman, a Berkeley Lab scientist and the study's lead author.

"Numerous studies show rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, but our study provides the critical link between those concentrations and the addition of energy to the system, or the greenhouse effect."

What's even more worrying, last year greenhouse gas levels hit a record high with a 34 percent increase in radiative forcing.

It is highly unlikely nature will be able to handle the rising CO2 levels. If action is not taken, climate change will cause irreversible damage to our planet. Countries around the world are making changes to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The world's largest gas emitters, China and the U.S., made a historic global warming agreement last year. The Environmental Protection Agency plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants 30 percent by 2030. China is working to get 20 percent of its energy from zero-carbon emission sources by the same year.

Ending deforestation worldwide is important. Tropical deforestation is just as costly to the planet as carbon pollution. Deforestation generates about 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and is simple to stop, reports Columbia University.

The findings challenge those of climate change expert Wei-Hock Soon who has denied the existence of global warming while being financed by Exxon Mobil, Charles Koch and fuel companies.