US scientists report biggest annual jump in CO2

Washington

THE level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased at a record pace last year, US government scientists reported, raising new concern about one of the top greenhouse gases and the effects of global warming.

The measurement came from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. "The annual growth rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide . . . jumped by 3.05 parts per million (ppm) during 2015, the largest year-to-year increase in 56 years of research," said NOAA.