CO2 Levels Highest in 14 Million Years, Global Temperature More Sensitive to CO2 Than Thought

International team of scientists reconstructs atmospheric CO2 concentrations over the past 66 million years, revealing potential for more severe future warming.

• An international team of scientists has reconstructed atmospheric CO2 concentrations over the past 66 million years, providing a clearer picture of how CO2 levels have changed over Earth's history.
• The current concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, 419 parts per million (ppm), is the highest it has been in 14 million years.
• The research indicates that global temperature may be more sensitive to CO2 levels than current models estimate, suggesting that future warming could be more severe than previously thought.
• The study also suggests that a doubling of CO2 levels could result in a temperature rise of between 5°C and 8°C, significantly higher than the 1.5°C to 4.5°C increase predicted by current climate models.
• The research is a community effort involving some 90 scientists from 16 countries, funded by dozens of grants from multiple agencies, with the goal of eventually reconstructing the CO2 record back 540 million years to the dawn of complex life.

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