There's more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than at any time in the past 800,000 years – 402 parts per million, in measurements earlier this week – according to a report from the mountaintop observatory in Hawaii that measures concentrations of the greenhouse gas.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) the most common and most important of the human-produced greenhouse gases, because it is released from so many sources around the world (like factories, cars, airplanes and power plants) and because it can remain in the atmosphere for centuries, adding to global warming for many human lifetimes.
The CO2 recordings were made at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Mauna Loa Observatory, which lies about two miles above sea level near the volcano that shares its name on the island of Hawaii.
Carbon dioxide levels passed 400 ppm for the first time in recorded history last May and reached that milestone two months earlier this year, on March 16. They rose just above 402 ppm on April 7, and are projected to remain above 400 ppm for the next couple of months, according to Mashable.
Though the number is largely a symbolic milestone, it's a reminder "that carbon dioxide continues to increase in the atmosphere, and at faster rates virtually every decade," said Dr. James Butler, director of NOAA's Global Monitoring Division. "This is consistent with rising fossil fuel emissions," he added.
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