Atmospheric carbon dioxide reaches historic high
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028239
Washington Post : In 2013 atmospheric carbon dioxide levels reached an unprecedented high of nearly 400 parts per million. Although CO2 levels have been rising steadily since the onset of the Industrial Revolution and accelerated further in the 1990s, last year’s level was the highest in at least 800 000 years. That information comes from the annual report of the World Meteorological Organization, the meteorological advisory body of the United Nations. Half the pollution generated by humans has historically been absorbed by Earth’s oceans and plant life, but the environment cannot continue to absorb at that level. The report precedes the UN Climate Summit scheduled for 23 September in New York, during which world leaders will discuss plans to reduce emissions, expand renewable energy sources, and work toward a global legal agreement by 2015.
