TEMPO.CO, Washington - Scientists from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said average global carbon dioxide level hits new record on March, surpassing 400 parts per million. The record is the highest since NOAA monitoring started in 1957.
"It's both disturbing and daunting," said NOAA chief greenhouse gas scientist Pieter Tans as quoted by Associated Press.
"Daunting from the standpoint on how hard it is to slow this down."
Tans said the high concentration of CO2 is disturbing because it is happening at a pace so fast that it seems like an explosion compared to Earth's slow-moving natural changes and it had surpassed the ‘safe level’ 30 years ago.
Pushed by the burning of coal, oil and gas, global carbon dioxide is 18 percent higher than it was in 1980, when NOAA first calculated a worldwide average. In 35 years, carbon dioxide levels rose 61 parts per million. In pre-human times, it took about 6,000 years for carbon dioxide to rise about 80 parts per million, Tans said.
Carbon dioxide level is fluctuating alongwith the climate change. The highest concentration usually seen on May and it declines when plantations absorb the gas. But in yearly chart, the trend continues to rise.Ccarbon dioxide concentration is also higher in the Northern Hemisphere because there are more power plant and vehicles operating.
The first time levels passed the 400 ppm milestone was for just a few weeks in the Arctic in 2012. Last year the monthly Northern Hemisphere average measured in Hawaii exceeded 400 and now the global average has as well, said James Butler, head of NOAA's global monitoring division.
GABRIEL WAHYU TITIYOGA
