Two years ago, we talked about a report out of the observatory on Mauna Loa in Hawaii of the first modern measurements of carbon dioxide levels greater than 400 parts per million. But it was only in that location and only for a brief period of time.
But now, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – NOAA – the global average CO2 concentration has surpassed 400 parts per million.
That represents an increase of more than 120 parts per million or nearly 45% since the industrial revolution. In fact, the last time there was this much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, there weren’t any humans on earth. It has been millions of years.
Our fossil fuel use dumps about 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. To put this into historical perspective, in the year 1900, that figure was less than 3 billion tons a year. The steady rise in atmospheric CO2 is no surprise.
The greenhouse effect is well-known and well-understood. The more heat-trapping gas there is in the atmosphere, the more temperatures will rise. And thus it is also no surprise that the first three months of 2015 were the warmest since records have been kept. Those who suffered through a brutal Northeast winter may have a hard time believing that, but for the planet as a whole, this is already an extremely warm year.
Politicians and their corporate sponsors may continue to debate the reality of global climate change, but the data and the consequences keep rolling in.
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Record global carbon dioxide concentrations surpass 400 parts per million in March 2015
Photo courtesy of Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.