Hawaii Observatory Measure | New record for ration as CO2 in air

France Media Agency

In May 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) reported that the unit of measurement used to calculate air pollution exceeded 419 parts per million (ppm).

These measurements were taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, which is the highest point on the volcano, where they have been recorded since 1958.

May is usually the month with the highest carbon dioxide content each year. Last year, in May 2020, the registered rate was 417 ppm.

“There are no significant signs of global economic disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” the agency said.

On the other hand, other scientific evidence suggests that this rate may not actually have reached millions of years.

This level was 4.1 and 4.5 million years ago, when CO was “comparable”.₂ 400 ppm or more, ”the agency said in a statement. At that time, sea level was twenty meters high, and studies show that large forests occupied parts of the Arctic.

“We add 40 billion tons of CO pollution₂ In the atmosphere every year, ”said Peter Tans, a NOAA scientist. “If we want to prevent catastrophic climate change, reducing CO pollution is our highest priority₂ To zero as soon as possible. ”

Carbon dioxide is produced by the combustion or power generation of fossil fuels for transportation, but also by other methods such as cement production, deforestation …

This greenhouse gas traps heat, gradually causing global warming. It persists in the atmosphere and oceans for thousands of years, the NOAA said.

“Despite decades of negotiations, the global community has not been able to slow down significantly, let alone reverse, the annual rise in CO levels.₂ Atmosphere, ”lamented the US agency.