The main cause of global warming, carbon dioxide emissions, shows no signs of slowing down as levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere have reached record highs during the annual Spring peak. Carbon dioxide levels are now the highest they have been in about 4 million years, attributed to the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), carbon dioxide levels measured in May in Hawaii averaged 424 parts per million (ppm). This is several parts per million higher than last year’s May average and represents a 51% increase compared to pre-industrial levels of 280 ppm. The increase in carbon levels from May to May is one of the largest on record, surpassed only by 2016 and 2019, which saw increases of 3.7 and 3.5 parts per million, respectively.
NOAA’s greenhouse gas monitoring group leader, Arlyn Andrews, expressed concern about this trend, noting that not only is carbon dioxide levels continuing to rise despite efforts to reduce emissions, but the rate of increase is also accelerating compared to a decade or two ago. Carbon emissions used to increase by around 1 part per million per year, but now they are growing at two or three times that rate, depending on the presence of El Niño conditions.
The rapid increase in carbon dioxide levels highlights the urgent need for stronger actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the challenges of global warming
“The continuous rise in atmospheric CO2 is deeply concerning and not entirely unexpected,” said climate scientist Kim Cobb from Brown University, who was not involved in the research.
Carbon dioxide levels follow a seasonal cycle, with the highest saturation point typically reached in May. This is because two-thirds of the Earth’s land is in the Northern Hemisphere, and plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air during late spring and summer, causing carbon levels to decrease until they begin rising again in November, according to Andrews.
During El Niño climate periods, carbon levels tend to increase more due to the warmer and drier conditions in the tropics. The 3.0 increase observed is a sign of an El Niño bump, according to Cobb.
There are two primary methods of tracking greenhouse gases: monitoring emissions from smokestacks and exhaust pipes, and measuring the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. NOAA and its partner agencies conduct global measurements. Hawaii, with the Keeling Curve at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has the longest history of direct measurements, dating back to 1958. Since then, emissions have increased by approximately 33%.
Emissions remain in the atmosphere for centuries, trapping heat energy near the Earth’s surface. Furtado, a meteorology professor at the University of Oklahoma, explains that even if emissions were to decrease, it would take time for the climate system to respond.
NOAA faced a complication this year in their readings. The eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano disrupted the NOAA monitor, leading to the use of an alternate site at Mauna Kea. Both sites have slightly different measurements, but the data suggests that Mauna Kea is an appropriate substitute for Mauna Loa.
Many activists and scientists advocate for reducing carbon dioxide levels to 350 parts per million.
The current carbon dioxide levels surpass any time in the last 4 to 4.5 million years, when the atmosphere was around 6 degrees Fahrenheit (3.9 degrees Celsius) warmer, and sea levels were 16 to 82 feet (5 to 25 meters) higher.
Heat were larger with related amount of co2 in the air since carbon dioxide barriers heat for the purpose of so long in addition to millions of years back the increase of co2 was a lot more gradual, enabling heat to develop and glaciers to dissolve to raise oceans, scientists stated.
“We live absolutely with levels hidden from man civilization”, Furtado stated. “People are running a huge experiment for the Earth weather conditions system by way of burning co2 and the answers are turning away, not perfect for a lot of people with this planet. ”
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