You're the centerpiece in a phenomenon not seen in 30 million years
For the first time in millions of years, Earth's atmosphere has surpassed 430 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide, marking a new and alarming milestone in the ongoing
climate crisis
. According to the latest data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (
NOAA
) and researchers at the University of California, San Diego, the global average CO₂ concentration in May 2025 exceeded 430 ppm—an increase of over 3 ppm from the previous year.
This record-breaking concentration is the highest observed in at least several million years, with some scientists suggesting CO₂ levels may not have been this high for tens of millions of years. The rapid rise is largely attributed to human activities, particularly the burning of
fossil fuels
, which release vast quantities of
greenhouse gases
into the atmosphere. The accumulation of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases acts as a heat trap, raising global temperatures and driving more extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, storms, and floods.
Ralph Keeling
, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, commented on the trend: 'Another year, another record. It's sad.' He emphasized that the speed of the increase is especially concerning, as it reflects a failure by nations to sufficiently curb emissions and slow the pace of
climate change
.
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Recent years have seen some of the largest annual increases in atmospheric CO₂ on record. For example, between 2023 and 2024, the increase was 3.75 ppm—the largest one-year jump ever recorded, with the annual average reaching 422.8 ppm in 2024. The continued rise is fueled not only by fossil fuel combustion but also by reduced carbon uptake by natural sinks (like forests) and increased emissions from wildfires, such as those in the Amazon and Canada. In 2023, global
wildfires
alone emitted an estimated 7.3 billion tonnes of CO₂.
The implications of these rising CO₂ levels are profound. Scientists warn that unless the build-up of greenhouse gases is slowed and eventually reversed, the world will continue to experience more severe climate impacts. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that to limit global warming to 1.5°C—as outlined in the Paris Agreement—the annual increase in atmospheric CO₂ must slow to about 1.8 ppm per year. Current trends, however, show no sign of this happening.
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'Until we reach net zero CO₂ emissions globally, world temperatures will continue to rise and cause increasingly severe impacts,' said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization. The record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather events of 2024, which killed thousands and displaced millions worldwide, underscore the urgency of the situation.
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