Carbon pollution hits highest point in 3 million years

Extract from ABC News 24 Website:

Global greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached an ominous milestone that is unprecedented in human history.
The world's longest measure of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached 400 parts per million (PPM) for the first time in three million years.
The daily CO2 level is measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, which tracks greenhouse gases in the Northern Hemisphere.
The level has been measured at Mauna Loa since 1958, with data before that taken from ice core samples.
The last time it reached this level, temperatures rose by between three and four degrees and sea levels were between five and 40 metres higher than today.
The rise in greenhouse gases corresponds with the extra carbon dioxide known to have been emitted by humans through fossil fuels and clearing forests.
Climate Institute chief executive John Connor says greenhouse gas concentrations have increased by about 40 per cent since the industrial revolution.
"So there's a clear trend and a dangerous trend in carbon pollution," he said.
Mr Connor says the worrying trend puts the planet on a path towards dangerous climate change.
"This matters because the extra heat is loading the dice for even more dangerous weather extremes and climate risk," he said.