April 14, 2021
Levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane continued to rise in 2020, said NOAA, despite the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic response.
Levels of climate-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane in the atmosphere continued to rise in 2020, with CO2 levels reaching their highest point in 3.6 million years, according to NOAA research, despite the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic response.
According to the NOAA report, released April 7, 2021, the global average for CO2 in the atmosphere in 2020 was 412.5 parts per million (ppm) in 2020, rising by 2.6 ppm during the year. That rate of increase was the fifth-highest in NOAA’s 63-year record.
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Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere fluctuate significantly over the year, with some being consumed by plants in the northern hemisphere throughout the spring and summer before rising again throughout the autumn and winter.
However, human activity, mainly by the combustion of fossil fuels and deforestation, is responsible for the long-term trend of increasing carbon dioxide concentrations, according to the Met Office.
Decrease in Global Emission
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As a result of a downturn in transportation usage and economic activity due to the coronavirus pandemic, global emissions decreased briefly in 2020.
However, the 2020 pollution reductions were insufficient to significantly reduce carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere, which continues to climb.