With climate change a very real issue in today’s society, it isn’t great news that carbon dioxide levels just hit an all-time high.
A study which has measured the increase in CO2 since 1958 has found that the level of carbon dioxide is the highest on Earth than it has been in three million years, reading at 417 ppm which is up from 414.7 ppm in May of 2019.
The last time our atmosphere read levels of carbon dioxide this high, sea levels were 50 to 80 feet higher than they are today and temperatures were about 3 degrees warmer.
Despite the coronavirus lockdowns causing the globe to reduce their human footprint, we have still seen a steady increase in CO2 levels which can be attributed to human emission from the combustion of fossil fuels and volcanic eruptions. So once again, we are solely to blame for destroying the climate we live in.
But what exactly does this mean for our future? Well first things first, if we don’t slow down greenhouse gases – predominantly CO2 emission – we will render large sections of the planet unliveable. And the news gets worse yet, this would require a reduction in CO2 emission by 20% to 30% over a year to see any helpful decrease.
Keep that in mind the next time you get into your car before taking public transport.
