Scientists from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) of the University of California San Diego stated on Thursday that the amount of carbon dioxide registered in the atmosphere reached a new peak in May.
Alarming Numbers
One month ago, the atmospheric CO2 concentration reached 417.1 parts per million (ppm) at the Mauna Loa observatory area.
NOAA highlighted that the newly resulted value broke the record from 2019 by 2.4 ppm.
CO2 levels reflect the amount of the gas present in the atmosphere. That is different from measuring carbon dioxide emissions, which indicates how much new CO2 is pumped into the atmosphere.
One detail is odd – The new record doesn’t reflect the decrease of emissions provoked by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Good News
However, some studies have proven that the quantity of carbon emitted into Earth’s atmosphere will drop later this year because of a decrease in energy usage.
Ralph Keeling, who is head of the Scripps Oceanography program from Mauna Loa, stated:
“The buildup of CO2 is a bit like trash in a landfill. As we keep emitting, it keeps piling up.”
“The crisis has slowed emissions, but not enough to show up perceptibly at Mauna Loa. What will matter much more is the trajectory we take coming out of this situation,” he added.
The new data should be a wake-up call for all of us. Carbon dioxide is dangerous. It has severe impacts on our planet’s climate and, therefore, on the overall quality of our lives.
Decreasing the levels of atmospheric CO2 should be a priority for all countries. Each of us plays a part in global warming, and we are far from acting right. Climate has changed dramatically over the past century, and if we don’t act soon, it might be too late to save the planet.
