Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere hit a record high in 2024, according to a new report from the UN weather agency.<\/p>\n
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said heat trapped by such greenhouse gases was “turbo-charging” the Earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather.<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Last year’s wildfires in California were fuelled by strong Santa Ana winds.\u00a0 (AFP: Etienne Laurent)<\/p>\n
“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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Reducing emissions is therefore essential not just for our climate but also for our economic security and community well-being.”<\/p>\n
The report stated that large wildfire emissions during the warmest year on record, coupled with a strong El Ni\u00f1o, were the likely reasons for record growth between 2023 and 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2004, the annual average level of CO2 measured by WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch network was 377.1 ppm \u2014 in 2024, it was 423.9 ppm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The elevated rate in 2024 set the planet on track for more long-term temperature increases, the WMO said.<\/p>\n
It noted that concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide \u2014 other greenhouse gases caused by human activity \u2014 have also hit record levels.<\/p>\n
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