Carbon dioxide over Europe

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing – largely due to the burning of fossil fuels.

This seasonal plot (or rose diagram) shows the monthly average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over European countries, measured by satellites, from 2014 (light blue) to 2020 (dark red). The concentration has been above 400 parts per million (ppm) since September 2016. The plot is asymmetric, due to the absorption of carbon dioxide by growing plants in the summer months.

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