Overview

• Scripps scientists measured an average of 430.2 ppm at Mauna Loa in May, up from 426.7 ppm a year earlier.
• NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory reported a parallel global average of 430.5 ppm for May, the first time readings exceeded 430 ppm worldwide.
• Carbon dioxide concentrations have surged more than 50% above pre-industrial levels and stand at their highest point in at least 14 million years.
• The steady rise since 1958 is depicted in the Keeling Curve, which shows seasonal fluctuations atop an unbroken annual upward trend.
• Persistently high CO2 amplifies heat retention in the atmosphere, driving higher temperatures, melting polar ice, and more extreme weather patterns.