By steadily releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, humans could inadvertently slow down the rotation of the Earth, according to a new scientific report. A team of Belgian researchers came to that conclusion after using climate models to simulate a per cent increase in the primary greenhouse gas each year, a rise they said coincides with current trends. While slight, the shift in the planet's spin could be measured over the course of decades, providing an ideal method to check the effects of civilization-induced warming of the world, the scientists said.