Absorption of solar energy by the near-infrared (NIR) CO2 bands provides an important source of heating in the mesosphere. At 60--85 km, this source exceeds 1 K day-1 and contributes up to 30% of the total solar heating. Calculation of the solar heating in the NIR CO2 bands requires consideration of complex non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) processes. The small energy effect, narrow region of importance, and the necessity to consider non-LTE effects, have accounted for the absence of an adequate parameterization for the NIR CO2 bands. Recently a parameterization has been developed and implemented into the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model. Numerical experiments with this model have shown that inclusion of the NIR CO2 heating results in a significant warming of up to 8 K in the mesosphere for the current CO2 amount but does not significantly change the model thermal response induced by the doubling of CO2.