A remote part of Tasmania renowned for its clean air has hit new peak levels of carbon dioxide, sparking renewed calls for Australian leaders to combat global warming.
Cape Grim, in the island state's picturesque northwest, is home to one of the three major observation stations around the globe, and has been used to take meteorological readings for the southern hemisphere since 1976.
Last week the station for the first time surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in what Greenpeace said was a warning that should not be ignored.
"We know that anything above 350ppm poses a threat to our planet's climate," Greenpeace campaigner Nikola Caule said on Monday.
"With the crossing of the 400ppm threshold, we are now in uncharted territory."
Cape Grim data has shown a steady increase in CO2 levels, starting at 329ppm when the station opened.
Levels published by the CSIRO show that in February CO2 content was nudging 399ppm, and Greenpeace said the 400ppm mark had now been broken.
Dr Caule said the latest observation should prompt federal politicians to introduce legislation to end fossil fuel industries.
"It's time for both major parties to get serious about climate change and put in place plans to phase out the mining and burning of coal before it's too late," he said.
"People in the real world are furious that our future is being put at risk, as coalmines and other fossil fuel projects are being bankrolled with federal subsidies while the climate suffers."
CSIRO expert Paul Krummel said many sites in the northern hemisphere had been exceeding 400ppm in recent years, and Cape Grim had been one of few locations with sub-400ppm levels.
"It's not going to go back below 400ppm for a very long time unless we get very good at mitigation," he told Fairfax Media.
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