US scientists have confirmed that the levels of the three most important heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere reached new record highs again last year, underlining the escalating challenge posed by the climate crisis.
The global concentration of carbon dioxide, the most important and prevalent greenhouse gas emitted by human activity, rose to an average of 419 parts per million in the atmosphere in 2023, while methane, a powerful if shorter-lasting greenhouse gas, rose to an average of 1922 parts per billion. Levels of nitrous oxide, the third most significant human-caused warming emission, climbed slightly to 336 parts per billion.
Through the burning of fossil fuels, animal agriculture and deforestation, the world’s CO2 levels are now more than 50% higher than they were before the era of mass industrialization. Methane, which comes from sources including oil and gas drilling and livestock, has surged even more dramatically in recent years, Noaa said, and now has atmospheric concentrations 160% larger than in pre-industrial times. Read More
News Credit: The Guardian
Picture Credit: Sebastião Moreira/EPA