The concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere has reached a record 430.2 parts per million (ppm) – a level scientists say hasn’t been seen on the planet in millions of years, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports, citing EcoWatch.
The data was collected in May 2025 at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii by researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. The reading marks an increase of 3.5 ppm from May 2024, when the level stood at 426.7 ppm.
Scientists attribute the steady rise in carbon dioxide directly to the burning of fossil fuels, which continues to have an increasingly destructive impact on the climate. According to the Scripps Institution, rising CO2 concentrations are fueling more extreme weather events – from devastating heatwaves and prolonged droughts to intense rainfall and widespread flooding.
At the same time, higher carbon dioxide levels are causing ocean acidification, which poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems by making it harder for corals, shellfish, and other marine organisms to form their calcium carbonate skeletons and shells. While the Mauna Loa Observatory is considered the global benchmark for atmospheric CO2 measurements, it doesn’t capture all regional variations.