Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere has been steadily increasing over the past few decades.
This has been recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a scientific laboratory agency of the United States government.
According to NOAA data, throughout the year 1980, the average global atmospheric CO2 concentration was below 350 parts per million (ppm).
This means there were fewer than 350 CO2 molecules for every one million molecules in the air.
However, in subsequent years, the concentration of CO2 in the air continued to rise, reaching 421 ppm in December 2023.
This figure represents a new all-time high in NOAA's records.
Meanwhile, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can warm the Earth's temperature and cause climate change.
"Human activities have increased the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere by 50% in less than 200 years," NASA stated on its official website.
This is consistent with the report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). According to the IEA, CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use rose to a new record in 2023.
Along with this, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) declared that 2023 was the hottest year in history.
"The extreme events we observed in recent months provide dramatic testimony to how far our climate has already changed," said C3S Director Carlo Buontempo in a press release earlier this year (January 9, 2024).
"If we want to successfully manage climate risks, we need to decarbonize the economy urgently, and use climate data to prepare for the future," said Carlo.