Measurements of carbon dioxide, the main human-caused greenhouse gas, averaged up to 17% in April, which was a brief decline due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the world has already hit another new emissions record, so reductions over a few months haven't had much of an overall effect.
23 million years
Records with direct measurements date back to 1958. And carbon dioxide levels are now almost 100 parts per million higher than then. That's an increase from 31% in 62 years. And they don't stop growing.
According to Pieter Tans, principal scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
That illustrates how difficult it is, and how much work it entails, to reduce emissions. We have actually been emitting a lot of heat to the Earth for a long time.
Carbon dioxide levels reach their peak in the month of May because already in June the plants (main consumers of carbon dioxide) enter the growth stage and they absorb more of that gas.
Thus, a new study made by Brian Schubert (University of Louisiana at Lafayette) concludes that current carbon dioxide levels are actually higher than they have been in recent 23 million years.
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The news
New record for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, despite the coronavirus pandemic
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.