Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever — accelerating on a steep rise to levels far above any experienced during human existence, scientists from NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego announced today.

“Not only is CO2 now at the highest level in millions of years, it is also rising faster than ever. Each year achieves a higher maximum due to fossil-fuel burning, which releases pollution in the form of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” said Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 program that manages the institution’s 56-year-old measurement series. “Fossil fuel pollution just keeps building up, much like trash in a landfill.”

The record two-year growth rate observed from 2022 to 2024 is likely a result of sustained high fossil fuel emissions combined with El Niño conditions limiting the ability of global land ecosystems to absorb atmospheric CO2, said John Miller, a carbon cycle scientist with the Global Monitoring Laboratory.

The Mauna Loa data, together with measurements from sampling stations around the world, are incorporated into the Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, a foundational research dataset for international climate scientists and a benchmark for policymakers attempting to address the causes and impacts of climate change.

  • soloOP
    3·
    18 days ago

    Is the study they cite legitimate?

    It sounds legit cause it comes from NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. It looks like Scripps has been doing this kind of monitoring, since the 1950’s.

    Apart from that to my understanding CO2 emissions are just skyrocketing. Sorry, but for some reason the NYT article doesn’t open for me, so I don’t know what it says.

      • soloOP
        6·
        18 days ago

        Thank you! The funny thing is that I was just reading it and wrote a relevant comment there. So I’ll just copy-paste it:

        But we now appear to be living through the precise moment when the emissions that are responsible for climate change are starting to fall, according to new data by BloombergNEF, a research firm. This projection is in roughly in line with other estimates, including a recent report from Climate Analytics.

        First of I wouldn’t trust BloombergNEF for environmental sustainability estimates, only for business expansion advice.

        Second would be that what the actual report of Climate Analytics says is:

        In this report, we find there is a 70% chance that emissions start falling in 2024 if current clean technology growth trends continue and some progress is made to cut non-CO2 emissions. This would make 2023 the year of peak emissions – meeting the IPCC deadline.

        This is a greenwishing NYT article, at best.