PLANET EARTH
CO2 levels to pass an alarming milestone in 2021
Words by Harry Baker
We are approaching a 50 per cent increase from preindustrial times
© Getty
Atmospheric carbon dio(CO2) concentration will soar past a scary threshold this year, exceeding 417 parts per million (ppm), a 50 per cent increase since the start of widespread industrial activity in the 18th century. The forecast comes from the Met Office, the national meteorological service for the UK, which used data collected at Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. Even though there was a slight decrease in global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current La Niña event – a weather pattern in the Pacific that usually lowers global carbon emissions – it wasn’t enough to offset previous increases.