Earth saw its largest annual spike in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on record in 2015, according to new data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The increase is significant because it demonstrates the continued march toward higher levels of global warming pollutants in the atmosphere. Those increasingly higher levels are helping to destabilize parts of Antarctica and Greenland, raise sea levels around the world, and cause more frequent and intense heat waves in many regions.
It is a sobering milestone too, since countries are working more diligently than ever to cut emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, but the atmosphere is not yet seeing the results.

Data stretching back at least 800,000 years shows that carbon dioxide levels are now higher than at any other time in human history.

According to NOAA, carbon dioxide measurements taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii show that carbon dioxide concentrations jumped by 3.05 parts per million (ppm) during 2015, the largest year-to-year increase in 56 years of research.

Data stretching back at least 800,000 years shows that carbon dioxide levels are now higher than at any other time in human history