The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit a record high earlier this week according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory, located in Hawaii, calculated the daily average of CO2 levels on Feb. 10 at 416.08 parts per million which is the highest ever daily average.
“Although the series of annual levels of CO2 have always seen a year-on-year increase since 1958, driven by fossil fuel burning and deforestation, the rate of rise isn’t perfectly even because there are fluctuations in the response of ecosystem carbon sinks, especially tropical forests. The success of our previous forecasts has shown that the year-to-year variability in the rate of rise of CO2 in the atmosphere is affected more by the strength of ecosystem carbon sinks and sources than year-to-year changes in human-induced emissions,” says Professor Richard Betts of the Met Office Hadley Center and University of Exeter.
Climate activists and scientists joined together in a call for action offering a reminder that “emissions from fossil fuels and deforestation need to be reduced to ZERO to stop this trend!”
According to Common Dreams, Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg, who founded the global youth-led climate action movement Fridays for Future, tweeted Tuesday of NOAA’s new finding that “the saddest thing is that this won’t be breaking news. And basically no one understands the full meaning of this. Because we’re in a crisis that’s never been treated as a crisis.”
New record of measured daily average concentration CO2 in the atmosphere:416.08 ppm. In February(!!)
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 11, 2020
The saddest thing is that this won’t be breaking news. And basically no one understands the full meaning of this. Because we’re in a crisis that’s never been treated as a crisis. https://t.co/RDRTDybPnf
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