Human activities are elevating atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations to levels unprecedented in human history. The majority of anticipated impacts of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions are mediated by climate warming. Recent experimental studies in the fields of indoor air quality and cognitive psychology and neuroscience, however, have revealed significant direct effects of indoor CO₂ levels on cognitive function. Here, we shed light on this connection and estimate the impact of continued fossil fuel emissions on human cognition. We conclude that indoor CO₂ levels may indeed reach levels harmful to cognition by the end of this century, and the best way to prevent this hidden consequence of climate change is to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Finally, we offer recommendations for a broad, interdisciplinary approach to improving such understanding and prediction.

中文翻译：

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化石燃料燃烧正在使室内二氧化碳达到对人类认知有害的水平。


人类活动正在将大气中的二氧化碳浓度提高到人类历史上前所未有的水平。人为CO ₂排放的大部分预期影响是由气候变暖引起的。然而，最近在室内空气质量、认知心理学和神经科学领域的实验研究表明，室内CO ₂水平对认知功能有显着的直接影响。在这里，我们阐明了这种联系，并估计了持续的化石燃料排放对人类认知的影响。我们的结论是，到本世纪末，室内CO ₂水平确实可能达到对认知有害的水平，而防止气候变化这一隐性后果的最佳方法是减少化石燃料排放。最后，我们提出了采用广泛的跨学科方法来提高这种理解和预测的建议。