The new figures were gathered by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The government body has said that this is the first time that every part of the world recorded carbon dioxide levels at this magnitude.
The first time, the BBC notes, that any part of the world reached 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was in 2012, when this level was recorded above the Arctic. in 2013, a second region recorded this level — at Mauna Loa in Hawaii in 2013. These high level readings have been associated with a steady rise in carbon dioxide levels, with the fastest rate of increase beginning around 1980.
Commenting on the new figures, Pieter Tans of NOAA, told the BBC: “It was only a matter of time that we would average 400 parts per million globally.”
Carbon dioxide is generally regarded as the most important of the human generated greenhouse gases. It is probably associated with a rise in temperature over the planet across recent decades.
In related news, NOAA also reports that the globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for March 2015 was the highest for the month since record keeping began in 1880.
