Carbon dioxide levels hit landmark at 415 ppm, highest in human history

Carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere hit a stunning milestone over the weekend.

Data from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii showed that carbon dioxide levels surpassed 415 parts per million Friday.

"We don't know a planet like this," Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist and writer at Grist, an online environmental magazine, posted on Twitter.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations have skyrocketed far higher than any levels in more than 800,000 years, according to data from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California-San Diego, and levels have not been this high for millions of years, Holthaus said.

Read the story from USA Today by Ryan W. Miller and Doyle Rice - “Carbon dioxide levels hit landmark at 415 ppm, highest in human history.”

Carbon dioxide levels at Mauna Loa reach record highs

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he US government’s greenhouse gas monitoring site at Mauna Loa in Hawaii has confirmed that its average recorded carbon dioxide levels for February topped 400 parts per million (ppm) – the first time that this has been seen in a northern winter month.

Back in May 2013, the Hawaiian site recorded daily levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide at 400 ppm for the first time. Last year the average hit 400 ppm in April, and remained above this level for three months.

So this year, reaching 400 ppm as part of the seasonal ebb and flow of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations as early as February is another milestone.

Read the report here: “February carbon dioxide levels average 400ppm for first time”