US agency says CO2 emissions 50% higher than pre-industrial level – International

In May, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere was 50% higher than before the industrial period, which had not been seen on Earth for about 4 million years, the U.S. agency warned this Friday (3).

Man-made global warming; And especially by generating electricity from fossil fuels, transportation, cement production or deforestation; Responsibility for the event was highlighted by the National Office of the United States Maritime and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

May is generally the year with the highest levels of carbon dioxide each year.

In May 2022, the unit of measurement used to calculate air pollution exceeded the limit of 420 parts per pound (ppm). The rate was 419 ppm in May 2021 and 417 ppm in 2020.

These measurements were established by the Mauna Loa Laboratory in Hawaii, which is located at the height of a volcano, allowing it to remain unaffected by local pollution.

Before the Industrial Revolution, according to the NOAA, CO2 levels were consistently 280 ppm for about 6,000 years of human civilization.

“The level of CO2 between 4.1 and 4.5 million years ago was (or was) close to 400 ppm,” the company said in a statement.

The sea level at that time was 5 to 25 meters high, and many of today’s large cities were submerged. According to studies, vast forests occupy parts of the Arctic.

CO2 is a greenhouse gas that traps heat, causing the planet to heat up more slowly. It lasts for thousands of years in the atmosphere and at sea.

This warming is already having dramatic effects, including the proliferation of heat waves, droughts, fires or floods, NOAA recalled.

“Carbon dioxide is something our race has been unaware of in the past, and this is nothing new,” said NOAA scientist Peter Dance. “We’ve known this for half a century. We have not done anything significant (about it). What do we need to wake up to?”