Scripps Oceanographic: May Atmospheric CO2 414.8 ppm; 2nd-Highest Annual Jump On Record (3.5 ppm)
The monthly peak amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere in 2019 jumped by a near-record amount to reach 414.8 parts per million (ppm) in May, which is the highest level in human history and likely the highest level in the past 3 million years.
Why it matters: Carbon dioxide is the most important long-lived greenhouse gas, with a single molecule lasting in the air for hundreds to around 1,000 years. The continued buildup of carbon dioxide due to human activities, such as burning fossil fuels for energy, is driving global temperatures up and instigating harmful impacts worldwide.
The fact that carbon dioxide levels increased by a near-record amount of 3.5 ppm in just one year illustrates that we're headed in the opposite direction from what climate scientists have shown is needed to avoid the worst consequences of global warming.
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Readings from NOAA show a seasonal peak of 414.7 ppm, and the second-fastest rate of increase in any year on record. Studies using ice cores and other data on historical carbon dioxide levels show this is unprecedented in all of human history, and likely the highest amount of CO2 in the air during the past 3 million years. The 2019 peak was 3.5 ppm higher than the 2018 monthly peak, which was the second-highest annual jump on record.
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https://www.axios.com/earth-carbon-dioxide-level-jumped-to-record-high-f11b5e67-4eec-41f2-86da-9c951e70bad0.html
