Atmospheric CO₂ levels

Carbon dioxide pollution is the primary reason the Earth is warming. The number you see here estimates the level of CO₂ in the Earth’s atmosphere right now, based on monthly averages.

CO₂ is measured in parts per million, a tiny increment with huge effects. If you take any given volume of air in the atmosphere, and divide it into a million parts, a certain number of those parts will be carbon dioxide.

When the U.S. started measuring CO₂ started measuring airborne CO₂ in 1958, it stood at 316 ppm. The higher the number climbs over time, the greater the risks from climate change.

When the U.S. started measuring airborne CO₂ in 1958, it stood at 316 ppm.

In the 800,000 years before industrialization, the CO₂ level hovered below 280 ppm.

In the last 12k years, CO₂ levels were never beyond 285 ppm. But the 20th century saw a sharp increase that continues today.

The CO₂ level is now over 400 ppm. The danger zone? 450 ppm, which we may hit by 2040. Beyond that, the warming Earth and its inhabitants will likely experience extreme weather events, increased sea-level rise, and their consequent ecological and economic impacts.

The last 60 years have seen a constant, steady and gradual increase in atmospheric CO₂ levels.

Don't be fooled when the CO₂ level falls each year between March and September.

That's when vegetation in the Northern Hemisphere absorbs carbon from the air. At summer's end, the carbon levels climb back up.

For decades, the lowest CO₂ level of any given year has been higher than the year before. So in the long run...even when CO₂ is going down, it’s going up.