Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Climate Cast ®
Paul Huttner

Recorded atmospheric CO2 hits new record

Carbon Dioxide Peak
Scientists measure atmospheric carbon dioxide from the Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory in Hawaii.
Susan Cobb | NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory via AP

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

It may sound like a small number, 421 parts per million is a huge number when you’re talking about carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And it’s now the highest recorded global CO2 level, reached in May of this year.

Andrew Freedman wrote about this for the Axios Generate newsletter. He said what’s more concerning than the record itself, is the pace at which CO2 is increasing.

“If you look through Earth’s geological history, coming out of the Ice Age we really only raised CO2 by about 80 ppm over 6,000 years,” he told Climate Cast host Paul Huttner. “But we’re going up by about two to four ppm every year. The head official for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who tracks this says this is an explosion of CO2 when you look at this from an historical perspective.”

To hear more from Freedman, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.