Concentrations of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere (Source: World Meteorological Organization)
If you like the climate norms of the recent past, this is not good news.
Monthly levels concentrations of carbon dioxide topped 400 parts per million throughout the northern hemisphere in April for the first time, according to the World Meteorogical Organization.
The threshold reinforces evidence that burning of fossil fuels and other human activities are resulting in the ongoing increase in heat-trapping greenhouse gases that are warming our planet, according to a WMO statement.
All northern hemisphere monitoring stations in the World Meteorological Organization Global Atmosphere Watch network reported record atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels during the seasonal maximum. This happens in early spring in the northern hemisphere, before vegetation growth absorbs CO2, the statement says.
The global annual average CO2 concentration is expected to exceed 400 ppm in 2015 or 2016, the statement says.
With climate change, the Northeast is expected to endure numerous challenges, including increased health-related impacts and costs, such as premature death and hospitalization stemming from even modest increases in heat, according to the National Climate Assessment.
In the mid-Atlantic, estimates suggest that between 450,000 and 2.3 million people are at risk from a 3-foot sea level rise, which is in the range of projections for this century, according to the assessment.
Source: NOAA via the National Climate Assessment
