Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the Earth‘s atmosphere in May 2022 were 50% higher than that during the pre-industrial era, reaching levels not seen on the planet for around four million years, the US climate agency said on Friday.

While atmospheric CO2 concentration remained steady at about 280 parts per million for 6,000 years in pre-industrial times, that figure has since grown considerably.

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According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), CO2 concentration in the atmosphere in May 2022 crossed the 420 ppm threshold, a level that is comparable to the atmospheric conditions of the Earth some 4.1 million to 4.5 million years ago when atmospheric CO2 levels were above 400 ppm.

The level of CO2 in the atmosphere detected in May this year was slightly higher than the 419 ppm and 417 ppm measured in May 2021 and 2020 respectively.

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Commenting on the cause of the increase in atmospheric CO2 levels, the NOAA said human-driven global warming activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, transport, the production of cement, and deforestation are responsible for the new record high.

The NOAA further highlighted the already disastrous effects being caused by these record high CO2 levels: the multiplication of forest fires, droughts, and heat waves around the world.

Commenting on the findings, scientists were also quick to point out human apathy and inaction vis-a-vis the environment and climate change, despite hovering at dangerous levels of atmospheric CO2 concentration.

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“Carbon dioxide is at levels our species has never experienced before — this is not new,” Pieter Tans, a scientist with the Global Monitoring Laboratory, was quoted as saying by AFP.

“We have known about this for half a century, and have failed to do anything meaningful about it. What’s it going to take for us to wake up?,” the scientist added.