Earth’s CO2 Levels Could Spike On Level Not Seen Since The Dinosaurs' Era

It seems that the Earth is nearing a point of no return, as far as environmental campaigners are concerned. Their fears are not unfounded. Scientists said that the rise in carbon dioxide levels has continued.

In fact, according to The National, this year marks as the fifth consecutive "hottest year" ever recorded. An expert also noted that a spike in CO2 level has given the Earth's atmosphere a "real shock" as temperatures continue to rise to levels near a point of no return. The UAE, for instance, is already 1 degree hotter in February compared to previous years.

Still, that does not mean that there is not any more to do. Climate change expert Tanzeed Alam noted that many countries can prioritize their role in turning the issue around by taking the Paris Agreement seriously.

Scientific American also noted that high carbon dioxide levels kept the planet warm to sustain life 50 million years ago, at the time of dinosaurs. As CO2 levels dropped, the planet also tilted to a cooling, therefore forming ice caps and glaciers and killing many life forms that once thrived at the poles. But the consumption of fossil fuels has pushed the planet toward levels similar to that of when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and it could come as early as 200 years from now.

Gavin Foster, lead author of the study, feared that there is no way to know how the Earth would respond in such circumstances, as there had been no precedent for such in geological records. Even the high temperature records noted in each of the last three years already triggered a melting in the polar ice caps.

It is feared that the world is past its tipping point. Since 1960, there had been an incredible 30 percent growth of CO2 in the atmosphere. What is clear, however, is that the level of CO2 rise would mean that life on Earth will have to adapt to a more extreme heat than anything humans have ever experienced before.