World's carbon dioxide concentration teetering-point of no r

[Oscar]

World's carbon dioxide concentration teetering on the point of no return

[ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... g_c-US_d-1 ]

Michael Slezak Wednesday 11 May 2016 09.11 BST Last modified on Wednesday 11 May 2016 12.36 BST

Future in which global concentration of CO2 is permanently above 400 parts per million looms

‘We’re going into very new territory’: James Butler, of the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, says the amount of carbon dioxide is locking in future warming. - Photograph: John Giles/PA

The world is hurtling towards an era when global concentrations of carbon dioxide never again dip below the 400 parts per million (ppm) milestone, as two important measuring stations sit on the point of no return.

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“Even if we stopped emitting now, we’re committed to a lot of warming.”

Over in Hawaii, the Mauna Loa station, which is the longest-running in the world, is sitting above 400 ppm, and for the first time, might never dip below it again.

“It’s hard to predict,” Butler told the Guardian. “It’s getting real close.”

Meanwhile, the global average, after controlling for the seasonal cycle, popped above 400ppm late last year. Within a couple of years, the seasonal dips will never drop below 400ppm in the global average too.

All together, the world is on the verge of no measurements ever showing a reading under 400ppm.

“There’s an answer to dealing with this and that’s to stop burning fossil fuels,” Butler said.

Butler also emphasised that this CO2 is locking in future warming. “It’s like lying in bed with your electric blanket set to three. You jack it up to seven – you don’t get hot right away but you do get hot. And that’s what we’re doing.”

The CO2 concentrations are driving what appears to be runaway climate change around the world.

This year has seen record hot global ocean temperatures, which have caused coral reefs all around the world to bleach and devastated Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Air surface temperatures have also been shocking climate scientists. Yearly and monthly temperature records have been breaking regularly, with many of the records being broken by the biggest margins ever seen.

“It’s pretty ugly when you look at it,” Butler said.

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