The amount of planet-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere broke a record in May, continuing its relentless climb, scientists say.
It is now 50 per cent higher than the pre-industrial average, before humans began the widespread burning of oil, gas and coal in the late 19th century.
Growing carbon dioxide levels are more evidence that countries have made little progress toward the goal set in Paris in 2015 of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. That’s the threshold beyond which scientists say the likelihood of catastrophic effects of climate change increases significantly.They are “a stark reminder that we need to take urgent, serious steps to become a more climate-ready nation,” the national onbservatory’s administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement.
Scripps’ scientists still make observations at Mauna Loa under a program run by Keeling’s son, Ralph Keeling. Using that independent data, they calculated the concentration at 420.78. If emissions were completely eliminated, Tans said, the Keeling Curve would start to fall, as the oceans and vegetation continued to absorb the existing carbon dioxide from the air. The decline in atmospheric concentration would continue for hundreds of years, although progressively more slowly, he said.
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