Levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere have soared to levels that are now more than 50% higher than in preindustrial times, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday.
Carbon dioxide, or CO2, measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory in Hawaii peaked for 2022 at 421 parts per million in May, “pushing the atmosphere further into territory not seen for millions of years,” experts said.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution — and for almost 6,000 years of human civilization — CO2 levels were consistently around 280 ppm. Since that period of profound technological transformations, which began in the 18th century, scientists estimate that humans have generated around 1.5 trillion tons of CO2 pollution, much of which will continue to warm the planet for thousands of years to come.
