Humans have pushed Earth to a terrifying new milestone, and it could have deadly effects on our health
Higher carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will dramatically increase pollution levels, cause extreme weather events and broaden the ranges of disease-carrying creatures like mosquitoes and ticks
The concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere hasn’t been as high as it is now since long before humans existed. Just recently, CO2 levels topped 410 ppm, according to according to observations made at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.
There’s good reason to think this will have catastrophic effects on human health.
Carbon dioxide levels don’t necessarily have direct effects on our ability to breathe (at least, at these concentrations). But by transforming the planet, these CO2 levels will still dramatically increase pollution and related diseases, potentially slow human cognition, cause extreme weather events (including deadly heatwaves), broaden the ranges of disease-carrying creatures like mosquitoes and ticks.
Right now, CO2 levels are still climbing rapidly. They could be on track to hit 550 ppm by the end of the century, which would cause average global temperatures to rise by 6 degrees Celsius. (The goals of the Paris Agreement are to try to limit warming to less than 2 degrees C, which would help limit the severity of some of these effects — we’d still see some, but it’s considered to be the best we can do.)
