NEW YORK: Worldwide levels of carbon dioxide — the gas scientists say is most responsible for global warming — reached a significant milestone for the month of March, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday.
The global monthly average for carbon dioxide hit 400.83 parts per million in March, the first time the average surpassed 400 ppm for an entire month since such measurements began in the late 1950s, NOAA said.
“It’s both disturbing and daunting,” said NOAA chief greenhouse gas scientist Pieter Tans. “Daunting from the standpoint on how hard it is to slow this down.”
The burning of the oil, gas and coal for energy releases “greenhouse” gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. These gases have caused the Earth’s temperature to rise over the past century to levels that cannot be explained by natural variability.
The last time carbon dioxide reached 400 ppm was millions of years ago, according to the journal Nature Geoscience. A 2009 report in the journal found evidence of CO2 levels of 365 ppm to 415 ppm roughly 4.5 million years ago.
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