The levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide will reach values last seen in the Pliocene era more than 3 million years ago by 2025, a study published Thursday in the UK scientific weekly Nature said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2020) The levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide will reach values last seen in the Pliocene era more than 3 million years ago by 2025, a study published Thursday in the UK scientific weekly Nature said.
"At present rates of human emissions, there will be more CO2 in Earth's atmosphere by 2025 than at any time in at least the last 3.3 million years," an abstract reads.
CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere has been rising since the industrial revolution from a background of some 280 parts per million (ppm) to 411 ppm in 2019.
Data cited by UK researchers from the University of Southampton suggests that CO2 during the mid-Pliocene warming (mPWP) is very likely to have equaled or exceeded 427 ppm.
"Atmospheric CO2 rose by 2.5 ppm from 2017 to 2018, if this rate is sustained, our new data indicate that CO2 will surpass even the highest mPWP values within the next 4 to 5 years," the study reads.
This level of atmospheric carbon dioxide at the height of the Pliocene epoch was associated with global temperatures 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than the pre-industrial and sea levels 20 meters (66 feet) higher than present.
