The concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere has been increasing dramatically for at least the past 800,000 years. Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are at a record high. Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that in 2020, they observed an unprecedented amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The CO2 level hit an all-time high of 412.5 parts per million last year, a rise of 2.5 parts per million compared to 2019. The amount of carbon emissions in the oceans is also going up. According to the same report, 2020 was 30% higher than it was on average for 1999-2019. As a consequence of the unusual greenhouse gas levels, weather extremes affected various parts of the world according to the study:
As is typical, some areas around the world were notably dry in 2020, and some were notably wet. The Middle East experienced an extreme drought during autumn, with most places reporting no precipitation in October. In South America, the Bolivian lowlands suffered one of their most severe droughts on record during autumn. Drought also spanned the Chaco and Pantanal in Bolivia, Paraguay, and southern Brazil.
Greenhouse gases are gases that absorb light and heat, warming our planet as a whole. CO2 levels in the atmosphere are at an all-time high, putting Earth in very serious danger of reaching dangerous levels. Climate change is occurring due to the greenhouse effect, which creates a greenhouse effect more generally.
Basically, carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere increase when there is more sunlight and less carbon dioxide in the earth’s soil and oceans. The atmosphere generally absorbs more radiation from the sun than it was before, warming the planet. Scientists believe that it is imperative we take action now — as individuals and as a species — to reduce our carbon footprint and keep the planet livable.
