Carbon dioxide, methane rise sharply in 2007
April 24th, 2008 by Jim JustNOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) reports that concentrations of CO2 jumped 2.4 ppm in 2007, taking us to 385 ppm (preindustrial levels hovered around 280 through 1850). Last year alone global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global climate change, increased by 0.6%, or 19 billion tons. Additionally methane rose by 27 million tons after nearly a decade with little or no increase.
Recent global methane (CO4) concentrations are shown in the graph below. The red line shows the trend together with seasonal variations. The black line indicates the trend that emerges when the seasonal cycle has been removed.
Joseph Romm at Climate Progress notes the stark implications:
- If we stay at that growth rate, we’ll be at 465 ppm by 2050 — and that assumes (improbably) that the various carbon sinks don’t keep saturating.
- Levels of methane (a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2) rose last year for the first time since 1998, perhaps an early indication of thawing permafrost.