Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere soared by a record amount to new highs in 2024, committing the planet to more long-term temperature increase, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin said continued emissions of CO2 from human activities and an upsurge from wildfires were responsible, as well as reduced CO2 absorption by "sinks" such as land ecosystems and the ocean - in what threatens to be a vicious climate cycle.
Growth rates of CO2 have tripled since the 1960s, accelerating from an annual average increase of 0.8 ppm 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 since modern measurements started in 1957.
"The heat trapped by CO2 and other greenhouse gases is turbo-charging our climate and leading to more extreme weather. Reducing emissions is therefore essential not just for our climate but also for our economic security and community well-being," said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett.
Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide - the second and third most important long-lived greenhouse gases related to human activities - have also risen to record levels.
WMO released the annual greenhouse gas bulletin to provide authoritative scientific information for the UN Climate Change conference in November. The COP 30 meeting in Belém, Brazil, will seek to ramp up climate action.
"Sustaining and expanding greenhouse gas monitoring are critical to support such efforts," said Oksana Tarasova, coordinator of the Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which is one of WMO's flagship scientific reports and is now in its 21st issue.
