Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere hit a record high in 2024, according to a new report from the UN weather agency.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said heat trapped by such greenhouse gases was “turbo-charging” the Earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather.

In its latest bulletin on greenhouse gases, the WMO said CO2 growth rates have tripled since the 1960s, and emissions from human activities and more wildfires helped fan a “vicious climate cycle.”

The Geneva-based agency said growth rates of CO2 have accelerated from an annual average increase of 0.8 ppm (parts-per-million) per year to 2.4 ppm per year in the decade from 2011 to 2020. 

From 2023 to 2024, the global average concentration of CO2 surged by 3.5 ppm, the largest increase in any one-year span since measurements began in 1957. 

A fire helicopter flies toward a Mountain Fire’s plume

Last year’s wildfires in California were fuelled by strong Santa Ana winds.  (AFP: Etienne Laurent)

“The heat trapped by CO2 and other greenhouse gases is turbo-charging our climate and leading to more extreme weather,” WMO deputy secretary-general Ko Barrett said. 

“Reducing emissions is therefore essential not just for our climate but also for our economic security and community well-being.”

The report stated that large wildfire emissions during the warmest year on record, coupled with a strong El Niño, were the likely reasons for record growth between 2023 and 2024. 

In 2004, the annual average level of CO2 measured by WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch network was 377.1 ppm — in 2024, it was 423.9 ppm. 

The elevated rate in 2024 set the planet on track for more long-term temperature increases, the WMO said.

It noted that concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide — other greenhouse gases caused by human activity — have also hit record levels.

ABC/AP