Earth’s atmosphere now has more carbon dioxide in it than it has in millions — and possibly tens of millions — of years, according to data released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and scientists at the University of California San Diego.
“It’s sad.” Carbon dioxide, like other greenhouse gases, traps heat from the sun and can remain in the atmosphere for centuries.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide has risen sharply since preindustrial times, owing mostly to human activities that pump greenhouse gases into the air.
That meant that for every 1 million molecules of gas in the atmosphere, more than 400 were carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are closely monitored to gauge how much humans are influencing Earth’s climate.
According to information released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and researchers at the University of California San Diego, the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere is now higher than it has been in millions, if not tens of millions, of years.
In May, average global concentrations of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas released as a result of burning fossil fuels, surpassed 430 parts per million (ppm) for the first time. The new measurements were higher than ever before, up more than 3 parts per million from the previous year.
Climate scientists blame the steady accumulation of carbon dioxide (C02) for global warming, and the measurements show that nations are not doing enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reverse.
In a statement, Ralph Keeling, a professor of climate sciences, marine chemistry, and geochemistry at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, said, “Another year, another record.”. It’s depressing. “.”.
Like other greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide retains heat from the sun for centuries. Therefore, elevated levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere lead to increased global temperatures as well as other adverse effects of climate change, such as melting polar ice, rising sea levels, and more frequent and severe extreme weather events.
Due primarily to human activities that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased significantly since preindustrial times.
The 400 ppm threshold was unthinkable decades ago. This indicated that there were more than 400 carbon dioxide molecules for every million gas molecules in the atmosphere. In 2013, the planet reached that somber milestone. Scientists have now issued a warning that within 30 years, CO2 levels could rise to 500 ppm.
Human society, however, is already in unexplored territory.
Keeling said that the planet’s last time its atmosphere contained such high amounts of carbon dioxide was probably over 30 million years ago, long before people lived there and when the climate was very different.
He said that the rate at which CO2 levels have increased is concerning, in addition to how high they have risen.
He said, “It’s changing so fast,” to NBC News. Humans would not likely be where we are today if we had evolved in a world with such high CO2. We probably could have adjusted to such a world, but we based our civilization and society on the climate of the past. “”.
The Keeling Curve, so named in honor of Keeling’s father, Charles David Keeling, who started measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide on a daily basis in 1958 using instruments atop the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, is a graph that is commonly used to depict carbon dioxide levels.
Due to climate change brought on by humans, the Keeling Curve is known for showing a sharp rise since the Industrial Revolution.
In May, the average atmospheric CO2 concentration was 430 points per million, according to research conducted by Ralph Keeling and his colleagues at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. An average of 430 point 5 parts per million was recorded in May by NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory, which has been taking independent daily readings since 1974.
The amount that humans are affecting Earth’s climate is measured by closely monitoring the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Additionally, the readings show the general health of the planet.
“They’re using a single-point measurement to tell you about the health of your entire system,” Keeling explained. From a relatively basic set of measurements, we are obtaining a comprehensive assessment of the atmosphere. “.”.
