CO2 has not been so high since before hominids walked upright – and are not dropping fast enough to avert catastrophe
levels were about 280ppm for almost 6,000 years, providing a stable basis for the advance of human civilization. Since then, however, humans have released about 1.5tn tons of COemissions, a heat-trapping gas that is the primary driver of global heating, has quickly pushed the world into conditions not seen in 4m years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , which also takes measurements at Mauna Loa.
The epochal change in our atmosphere, due to the burning of coal, oil and gas to power our cars, trucks, houses and factories,. These impacts will become catastrophic should global heating advance further, beyond 1.5C above the pre-industrial era, scientists say.