Global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise

Blue carbon habitats such as mangroves pull carbon out of the atmosphere and store it in vegetation and soil. Credit: David Ruck/NOAA

Global carbon dioxide emissions in 2022 remain at record levels and natural carbon sinks are being impacted by climate change, according to a report published last week by the Global Carbon Project.  

The publication, produced by an international team of more than 100 scientists including many experts from NOAA, projects that atmospheric CO2 concentrations will reach an average of 417.2 parts per million in 2022, more than 50 percent above pre-industrial levels. The projection of 40.6 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2022 is close to the 40.9 billion tonnes of CO2 noted in 2019, which is the highest annual total ever recorded.

If the current level of emissions persists, there is a 50 percent chance that global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) will be exceeded in nine years, the opposite trend needed to reverse climate change. 

The report also provides a detailed accounting of carbon storage in the ocean and land. 

Read more at the link below.