CO2 in the atmosphere is a record high in 2 million years

The global average CO2 concentration has exceeded 400 parts per million (ppm), something that has never happened in the last two million years.

CO2 in the atmosphere is a record high

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the global global average of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels hit a record, exceeding 400 parts per million (ppm) in March 2015. The average growth rate of atmospheric CO2 concentration in the period 2012-2014 is 2.25 ppm per year.

Average CO2 concentration worldwide.(Photo: NOAA)

"This is a real milestone showing that the burning of fossil fuels has led global CO2 levels to rise to 120 ppm since pre-industrial times," Earth Sky quoted Pieter Tans of NOAA as saying. .

CO2 concentrations hit 400 ppm for the first time in the Arctic in the spring of 2012, and at the Mauna Loa research station located in Hawaii in 2013. However, the global average level is still below 400 ppm then. .

According to Popular Science, scientists have proposed to policy makers in many countries to take action to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels to below 350 ppm. However, the results obtained so far are very limited.

CO2 is a powerful greenhouse gas that causes global warming . The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is constantly increasing mainly because people burn fossil fuels, industrial and agricultural waste.