Carbon dioxide levels hit record high in April

In an alarming revelation, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for the first time topped 400 parts per million for a month, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California - San Diego, US.

Researchers at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US showed that carbon dioxide (CO2) exceeded 400 parts per million in two months earlier this year than last year.

Every day of this April averaged more than 400 parts per million.

This record-breaking moment could be the first time in 800,000 years that the earth's atmosphere contained this much CO2, Discovery News reported.

"We continue to turn the dial up on this 'electric blanket' of ours without knowing what the resulting temperatures will be," said James Butler, director of the Global Monitoring Division of NOAA, was quoted as saying.

"We know that the world is getting warmer on average because of our continued emissions of heat-trapping gases," Butler added.