NO RETURN

Earth CO2 Level Nearing ‘Irreversible’

“Stop burning fossil fuels.”

The global concentration of carbon dioxide is close to never again reaching less than 400 parts per million, a symbolic milestone that scientists warn is “irreversible.” A benchmark atmospheric measuring station in Australia is close to hitting the key level for the first time, and once it does, it will never be able to reach a lower measurement, climate experts say. “We’re going into very new territory... It’s like lying in bed with your electric blanket set to three. You jack it up to seven—you don’t get hot right away but you do get hot. And that’s what we’re doing...” said James Butler, director of the global monitoring division at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. “There’s an answer to dealing with this and that’s to stop burning fossil fuels.”