Greenhouse Gas Levels Hit a Record High
- 9 years ago
Levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2014, according to a new report released by the World Meteorological Organization on Monday.
The WMO reported that concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 397.7 parts per million in 2014, and in the Northern hemisphere it "crossed the symbolically significant 400 ppm level in 2014 spring, when CO2 is most abundant."
The global average levels of CO2 concentration also passed 400 ppm in spring 2015.
CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap heat on the Earth's surface which warms it.
The United Nations agency reports that there was a 36% increase in radiative forcing, which is the warming effect on our climate, due to higher levels of greenhouse gases such as CO2, methane and nitrous oxide from 1990 to 2014.
The WMO reported that concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 397.7 parts per million in 2014, and in the Northern hemisphere it "crossed the symbolically significant 400 ppm level in 2014 spring, when CO2 is most abundant."
The global average levels of CO2 concentration also passed 400 ppm in spring 2015.
CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap heat on the Earth's surface which warms it.
The United Nations agency reports that there was a 36% increase in radiative forcing, which is the warming effect on our climate, due to higher levels of greenhouse gases such as CO2, methane and nitrous oxide from 1990 to 2014.