Climate-KIC’s new CO2 meter indicates global carbon levels

As efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the world accelerate, Climate-KIC has launched a new online CO₂ meter to highlight current CO₂ levels in the atmosphere, how levels are still rising and to emphasise the urgency needed to reduce harmful emissions.

With atmospheric CO₂ consistently hitting levels of over 400 ppm (parts per million) this spring, according to figures released by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate-KIC’s new meter also acts as a global threat level indicator – showing how close global CO₂ levels get to 450 ppm, a maximum level suggested by climate scientists beyond which the effects of climate change would be irreversible.

The online meter combines a live data feed drawing on European data, updated regularly to show the precise level of CO₂ in the Earth’s atmosphere each day, and comparison tools to show how CO₂ levels have changed over time.

Richard Templer, director of Climate-KIC’s centre in the UK, commented: “CO₂ levels are rising, it’s a fact – indeed, the Global Carbon Project announced last month that global emissions of greenhouse gases jumped 2.3% in 2013 to record levels. However, Climate-KIC and our broad network of partners are working hard to support and encourage the entrepreneurs, scientists and students inventing new technologies that will decrease the amount of CO₂ that humans put into the atmosphere and thus avert disaster.”

The meter can be found here.