Earth's CO2 hits highest recorded level in human history - exceeding 430 parts per million for the first time ever
There's now more carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere than ever before in human history, scientists have revealed.
For the first time on record, monthly average CO2 levels exceeded 430 parts per million (ppm), according to experts at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego.
The monthly average for May 2025 reached 430.2ppm – the highest level since accurate measurements began 67 years ago.
The more CO2 in the atmosphere, the higher the rate of global warming, which could one day could make Earth's surface too hot for humans.
At much higher concentrations, CO2 can also cause a variety of health issues.
Worryingly, this includes cognitive impairment, drowsiness, nausea and even death in the most extreme cases.
'Another year, another record,' said Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 Program.
He added: 'It's sad.'
This graph shows concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) measured at Mauna Loa Observatory in the month of May 2025. Scientists calculated an average for the month of 430.2 ppm - an increase of 3.5 ppm over May 2024
Like other greenhouse gases, CO2 acts like a blanket, trapping heat and warming the lower atmosphere.
This changes weather patterns and fuels extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, heavy rain and flooding.
Rising CO2 levels also contribute to ocean acidification, which makes it more difficult for marine organisms like crustaceans and coral to grow hard skeletons or shells.
The experts' new measurements come from Mauna Loa Observatory, a research station situated high on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii.
At 11,141 feet above sea level, Mauna Loa Observatory measures different gases in the air by shining different kinds of light and radiation through air samples.
According to the experts, the observatory's monthly average for May 2025 of 430.2 ppm is an increase of 3.5 ppm over May 2024's measurement of 426.7 ppm.
Meanwhile, NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado has separately reported an average of 430.5 ppm – an increase of 3.6 ppm over last year.
In a post on X, Jeff Berardelli, meteorologist and climate specialist for WFLA Tampa Bay, called the new record 'concerning'.
In the Northern Hemisphere, CO2 concentrations in the air are at their lowest around September before plant matter starts to gradually decompose - releasing CO2 back to the atmosphere as it hits a high in spring
How is atmospheric CO2 measured?
CO2 is routinely measured in parts-per-million (ppm), which is simply the ratio of one gas or other molecule to another.
For example, 430 ppm of CO2 means that there are 430 molecules of CO2 and 999,570 molecules of other gases or water vapour.
At much higher concentrations - such as 1,000 ppm - CO2 can have a adverse health effect on human functioning, including cognitive impairment, drowsiness and nausea.
A concentration of 40,000 ppm is considered 'immediately dangerous to life or health', according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
CO2 is by far the most abundant human-caused greenhouse gas and it can persist in the atmosphere and oceans for thousands of years.
According to scientists, the amount of carbon present now in the Earth's atmosphere is equal to that which would have been seen some 4.1 to 4.5 million years ago, during a time which scientists refer to as the 'Pliocene Climatic Optimum'.
At this time, the sea level was a whopping 78 feet (24 meters) higher than in the present day, while the average global temperature stood at 7°F (3.9°C) higher than it was before the Industrial Revolution.
In fact, the temperature was so warm during this period of time that large forests occupied areas of the Arctic which today are barren, chilly tundra.
Although humanity is constantly pumping out CO2 all-year-round, atmospheric CO2 is at its highest in the Northern Hemisphere in the spring – specifically May.
Between autumn and spring, much of the hemisphere's plant matter decomposes, releasing CO2 into the atmosphere as it does so.
May tends to represent the highest extend of atmospheric CO2 before plants come to life and draw in CO2 to fuel their growth.
This begins the process of lowering the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere until the autumn when the plants start to die – and the cycle continues.
The Keeling Curve is a daily record of global atmospheric CO2 concentrations from 1958 to the present day, based on continuous measurements taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii
Researchers say Mauna Loa Observatory's new measurements represent the average state of CO2 in the atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere.
However, CO2 concentrations have not yet passed the 430 ppm mark in the Southern Hemisphere, which has a reversed cycle.
It was Scripps scientist Charles David Keeling, father of Ralph Keeling, who was the first to recognise that CO2 levels in the Northern Hemisphere peaked in May.
In 1958, he began monitoring CO2 concentrations at Mauna Loa Observatory and documented a long-term increase, known as the Keeling Curve.
NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory, meanwhile, begun daily CO2 measurements in 1974 and has maintained a complementary, independent measurement record ever since.
THE KEELING CURVE EXPLAINED
Pictured: Charles David Keeling receiving the US Medal of Science in 2001
Regular atmospheric CO₂ recordings were begun on Mauna Loa back in 1958 by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientist Charles David Keeling.
It was these measurements that confirmed the prediction of the Swedish physical chemist Svante Arrhenius that humanity was contributing to increasing global temperatures by means of the greenhouse effect.
Specifically, Dr Keeling's data showed that, overall, atmospheric CO₂ levels were rising each year — a dynamic shown in the so-called keeling curve (pictured bottom left).
The Keeling Curve was also the first data set to reveal the existence of seasonal fluctuations in carbon dioxide levels.
The highest monthly average carbon dioxide value in the northern hemisphere occurs in the May of each year, before plants act to remove large amounts of CO₂ from the atmosphere in the growing season.
The peak in May is caused by plants and soils giving off carbon dioxide between the northern hemisphere's autumn and early spring.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Big family guys compare their contributions to society*
Elon Musk Dear friends and fellow billionaires, welcome to the inaugural meeting of the Super-Impregnators. None of you likes beating around the bush so let's begin with introductions. I'm Elon and I make spaceships and babies. To date, I have produced 14 children. My target is 40. Message me if you know any smart women who want my sperm, no strings attached Farris Wilks I'm Farris, billionaire fracker, Trump donor and pastor of the Assembly of Yahweh, the one true church, in Texas. I only have 11 children and they're all via the same woman. Abortion is bad. Homosexuality is worse. Sex out of wedlock is unforgivable, so sayeth Yahweh Musk OK dude, let's keep the kooky Christian stuff to a minimum. Remember, we're trying to save the planet here by having more of the good types of children. It is our responsibility as super-smart wealth creators to spread our superior seed far and wide. Monogamy is inefficient Boris Johnson Have to say, Elon old chum, my current ball and chain takes a dim view of extramarital hanky-panky. I tried the whole for-the-good-of-humanity thing and she didn't buy it at all Musk Not sure you're supposed to be in this elite group, Boris Johnson Your assistant said I qualified because I'm a super-spreader and I went to Eton. Surely we need lots of little Bozzas just as much as we need lots of mini Muzzers? Got to keep the gene pool flowing Musk True but not too much. How many children have you got? Johnson Ahh, excellent question. Nine? Musk OK, fine. Next! Pavel Durov I'm Pavel and I own Telegram, the social media site which in no way facilitates terrorism and/or the illegal arms trade. And none of you is trying hard enough. I've got 106 Musk Think of the school runs! Durov Hahahaha! Wilks What's funny? Musk My joke implying any of us actually do any parenting … hahahaha Wilks Oh I see. Hahahaha Musk It's so annoying when people accuse me of being irresponsible. There are lots of poor people having children. How's that going to work? At least I can provide my offspring with everything they need Durov Except a father figure? Musk No, I can provide that too. Tutors. Fitness instructors. All the tools required to become masters of their own destiny Johnson Sounds a bit, you know … Musk What? Johnson Nothing Musk How have you got 106 children anyway? Some kind of bionic penis? I've looked into bionic penises. Something to consider Durov No, six the usual way and 100 via a local fertility clinic Wilks May Yahweh forgive thee Musk No, I like it … we need to think about this more industrially. How can we impregnate the most women in the least amount of time? Like Debbie Does Dallas but in reverse Johnson Elon does Eastbourne! Boris does Berlin! Musk Yeah, dude, I like it. What's Eastbourne? Johnson It's a town in England Musk Are its women smart and the right sort and also keen? Johnson Maybe start with Newcastle Musk I'll get my team to arrange Johnson Up the toon! Wilks Lord forgive thy humble servants
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Going Nuclear by Tim Gregory: Want to save the planet? GO NUCLEAR
Going Nuclear: How The Atom Will Save The World by Tim Gregory (Bodley Head £25, 384pp) Tim Gregory works in what he calls 'one of the most chemically exotic square miles on the planet'. He is a scientist at the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory at Sellafield. So, it is no surprise that his new book offers a deeply researched and mostly persuasive argument in favour of nuclear power and its benefits. If we want to renounce fossil fuels and clean up our energy systems, 'splitting atoms of uranium inside nuclear reactors is our best bet at reaching net zero by 2050'. Yet, as he acknowledges, profound suspicion of the nuclear industry is rooted in the public mind. And, in what he sees as an ironic contradiction, those people who are most concerned about climate change are the very ones who are least supportive of nuclear power. This anxiety was not always so widespread. In the 1950s, nuclear power was often seen as the future we should happily embrace. In Britain, Calder Hall, the country's first atomic power station, was opened by Queen Elizabeth II 'with pride'. The town of Workington became one of the first in the world where people's washing machines, record players and other electrical appliances were driven by nuclear electricity. It was not only the Queen who was enthused by the then new technology. Gregory tells the oddly charming story of Muriel Howorth, who became a staunch advocate of nuclear power at the age of 62 after reading a book she'd borrowed from her local library. She went on to found the Ladies' Atomic Energy Club and to write a pantomime called Isotopia, which included characters such as Isotope, Neutron and Atom Man. In 1950, it was staged in London with members of the Ladies' Atomic Energy Club playing all the roles. She had hopes of a performance at the Albert Hall but, sadly, this was never to be. A 21st-century Muriel Howorth seems unlikely to emerge. Nuclear power has lost the glamour it may have possessed in the 1950s. It is more likely today to elicit alarm and anxiety. Gregory puts much of contemporary worry about the nuclear industry down to what he calls 'radiophobia' – an irrational fear of radiation. Popular culture has played its part in warping society's perception of the subject. The idea of atomic bombs has become entwined with our notions of the nuclear industry. Gregory endeavours to get beyond the mushroom clouds of our imagination. As he points out, all kinds of unexpected objects are radioactive to some extent. Potassium-40 emits beta and gamma radiation. Bananas and potatoes both contain potassium, so are therefore radioactive. 'Biology,' he notes, 'unfolds against a background of radioactivity.' All of us spend our lives 'bathed in radiation'. The only way we could avoid it would be by adopting a highly impractical programme of not eating, drinking or even breathing. 'You can't have radiation-free anything,' Gregory writes. 'Background radiation is about as ubiquitous and as harmless as it gets.' What about the dangers of nuclear waste and the difficulties of disposing of it? Gregory argues that these are greatly exaggerated. The paraphernalia in his lab – gloves, test-tubes, biros – is all classified as nuclear waste because it comes from Sellafield. Most of it is 'far less radioactive than a banana'. 'Low-level' nuclear waste accounts for just one per cent of the radioactivity in all nuclear waste but 87 per cent of its volume. The most dangerous type of 'high-level' waste, by contrast, represents 0.1 per cent of the total volume of nuclear waste but contains 95 per cent of its radioactivity. All the high-level waste from the past 70 years of the nuclear industry would fit inside a medium-sized concert hall. Figures such as these may well be reassuring, but Gregory is on less sure ground when he turns to the major disasters that have struck the industry over the decades. Again he turns to statistics to argue that we should not be over-anxious. 'Nuclear's safety record is blotted by a small number of rare, high-visibility events,' he acknowledges, but it's 'about as safe as wind and solar, and it's tens or hundreds times safer than fossil fuels'. Air pollution from the latter kills as many people every six hours, Gregory states, as nuclear power has ever done. He acknowledges the seriousness of Chernobyl, which he describes unequivocally as 'the worst disaster in the history of nuclear power', but he argues that we should not overestimate its long-term effects. The accident at Chernobyl happened because of a combination of factors – an unusual design of reactor, operators who broke the rules, Soviet-era corruption – that is extremely unlikely to occur again. He also uses an array of statistics and scientific studies to show fears of ongoing health risks are exaggerated. A study from 2019 found that cancer rates in regions of Ukraine close to Chernobyl were no higher than the national average. Not everyone will buy Gregory's take on Chernobyl, but he's more convincing on the 2011 Fukushima disaster, where an earthquake triggered a tsunami that caused three nuclear units to explode. Twenty thousand people died due to the natural disasters but only one person died as a result of the radiation, and a UN scientific committee found no evidence that the radiation caused an increase in any type of cancer. Arguments over the dangers of nuclear power will continue. What seems inarguable is its potential. There is, Gregory writes, 'as much nuclear energy in a gram of uranium as there is chemical energy in more than a tonne of coal'. If you powered a lightbulb with a gram of coal, it would give you 15 minutes of light; a gram of uranium would light up the bulb for 30 years. As he bluntly states, 'Net zero is impossible without nuclear power.' Renewables such as wind and solar have important roles to play but alone they cannot possibly satisfy a society that needs on-demand electricity. And the demand is growing. Europe today generates a fifth of its electricity from nuclear. It's the biggest source of emissions-free electricity, bigger than solar and wind combined. Gregory reports on what he calls 'the flatpack furniture of the nuclear world' – small modular reactors that take up the space of 5.5 football pitches. He envisages a future in which every large town will have one of these smaller reactors and there will be several in every major city worldwide. 'Nuclear,' he writes, 'will become routine.' Gregory is passionate in his belief that nuclear power will solve the world's energy problems. Not all readers will be so evangelical but his book presents a strong, carefully argued case for his ideas.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Scientists reveal how humans will have superpowers by 2030
By 2030, rapid technological advancements are expected to reshape humanity, unlocking abilities once confined to science fiction—from superhuman strength to enhanced senses. Robotic exoskeletons may soon allow people to lift heavy objects with ease, while AI-powered wearables, such as smart glasses and earbuds, could provide real-time information and immersive augmented reality experiences. Healthcare may be revolutionized by microscopic nanobots capable of repairing tissue and fighting disease from within the bloodstream, potentially extending human lifespans. Developers are also working on contact lenses with infrared vision and devices that allow users to "feel" digital objects, paving the way for entirely new ways to experience the world. Tech pioneers like former Google engineer Ray Kurzweil believe these innovations are early steps toward the merging of humans and machines, with brain-computer interfaces offering direct access to digital intelligence. While many of these breakthroughs are already in progress, others remain in the experimental phase, facing significant technical and ethical challenges, including concerns about privacy and safety. Still, some of these futuristic technologies may become reality within the next five years, with the potential to enhance human strength, cognition, and perception in ways never before possible. Superhuman strength Kurzweil, a self-proclaimed futurist, has claimed that the foundation of human immortality will begin in 2030, with man set to merge with machines by 2045. By 2030, robotic exoskeletons could give human beings super strength, either by enabling feats like lifting huge objects in factories or making soldiers stronger on the battlefield. US-based robotics company Sarcos Robotics has already demonstrated a robotic exoskeleton that has a 'strength gain' ratio of 20-to-one. This means that normal people can carry weights of up to 200 pounds over an extended period of time. The suit took 17 years and $175 million to develop. Other exoskeletons, such as German Bionic's 'Exia' exoskeleton, incorporate AI that learns from the wearer's movement, enabling them to lift huge weights without feeling tired. These exoskeletons are already being used by staff in German hospitals. Super-healing and immortality In five years, humans could have tiny 'nanobots' in their bloodstream to keep them healthy, meaning people could recover rapidly from injury and even from diseases such as cancer. Kurzweil has claimed that by 2029, artificial intelligence will become 'superhuman' and that will allow for more technological breakthroughs to follow rapidly. One of the upcoming breakthroughs, according to Kurzweil, will be the development of microscopic nanobots that operate within the bloodstream, maintaining health without the need for constant medical monitoring. In his latest book, The Singularity Is Nearer, Kurzweil forecasts a dramatic transformation in human life after 2029, with essential goods becoming more affordable and people beginning to merge with machines through technologies like brain-computer interfaces, similar to Elon Musk's Neuralink. He also pointed to recent advances in artificial intelligence, including tools like ChatGPT, as evidence that his 2005 predictions are on track, stating that "the trajectory is clear." Super vision Contact lenses that enable wearers to see huge distances or even to beam computer information directly into their eyes could be on sale by 2030. Scientists in China recently developed contact lenses that allow wearers to see in the dark. The new lenses allow wearers to see infrared light, without requiring bulky night-vision goggles. Professor Tian Xue, at the University of Science and Technology of China, said he hopes his work could inspire scientists to create contact lenses that offer people 'super vision.' Enhanced senses Devices that give humans enhanced senses could be on the market, with research by Ericsson, a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company, suggesting that digital wristbands could soon give anyone the ability to 'feel' digital objects. Pioneering 'cyborg' designers have already tested devices that give people superhuman senses. Entrepreneur, transhumanist, and self-described cyborg Liviu Babitz created 'Northsense,' which allowed him to sense when he faces magnetic north. Manel Munoz, founder of the Trans Species Society, implanted two 'fins' on top of his head, which enabled him to 'hear' the weather. The sound is transmitted through his skull by bone conduction. Munoz has said he hears the weather through the 'sound of bubbles.' Knowing everything instantly with digital wearables By 2030, AI-enhanced wearables such as earbuds could enable everyone to plug into 'digital superpowers,' with everyone able to receive answers instantly. Meta is already adding AI to Ray-Ban glasses, and Google is designing an operating system for XR (augmented reality and virtual reality). Computer scientist Louis Rosenberg has said that these abilities will emerge from the convergence of AI, augmented reality, and conversational computing. 'They will be unleashed by context-aware AI agents that are loaded into body-worn devices that see what we see, hear what we hear, experience what we experience, and provide us with enhanced abilities to perceive and interpret our world,' Rosenberg explained. 'I refer to this new technological direction as augmented mentality and I predict that by 2030, a majority of us will live our lives with context-aware AI agents bringing digital superpowers into our daily experiences.'
