Climate scientists report that the level of carbon dioxide has reached the highest level ever, 50% higher than the pre industrial level, a concentration never seen in more than 4 million years The measurement of Mauna Loa atmospheric baseline Observatory in Hawaii shows that the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached a peak of 420.99ppm in May. The opinion of another independent team of scientists of Scripps Institute is very consistent, and the monthly average recorded is 420.78ppm.
This is the highest concentration of carbon dioxide in human history - if this sentence sounds familiar, it is because we have been breaking this record in the past few years. In may2021, the record was set at 419.13ppm, higher than 416.21ppm in may2020 and 415.26ppm in may2019. As a reference, scientists believe that 350 ppm is a safe level, which is reflected in 350 Org.
After breaking the milestone of 420ppm for the first time, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is now 50% higher than that before industrialization. The level before industrialization has been hovering around 280ppm in the nearly 6000 years of human civilization. In fact, the earth has not seen such a high level of carbon dioxide for more than 4million years. That is a period known as "the best climate in the Pliocene".
At that time, the average temperature was 3.9 ℃ (7 ° f) higher than the baseline before industrialization, and the sea level was 5 to 25 meters (16 to 82 feet) higher than today. As it seems that our record breaking will not slow down soon, we may go that way again, with disastrous consequences.
Rick Spinrad, director of the US National Oceanic Administration (NOAA), said: "science is irrefutable: mankind is changing our climate in the way our economy and our infrastructure must adapt. We can see the impact of climate change around us every day. The relentless increase in carbon dioxide measured in monaloa is a grim reminder that we need to take urgent and serious measures".