The agency\u2019s latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin revealed that CO\u2082 concentrations rose by 3.5 parts per million (ppm) between 2023 and 2024, a record leap that pushed global averages to 423.9 ppm. The rise was fuelled by ongoing fossil fuel emissions, intensified wildfires, and a decline in the ability of land and oceans to absorb carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WMO scientists warned that the weakening of these natural \u201csinks\u201d could trigger a self-reinforcing cycle of warming. \u201cThere is concern that terrestrial and ocean CO\u2082 sinks are becoming less effective, which will increase the amount of CO\u2082 that stays in the atmosphere, thereby accelerating global warming,\u201d said Oksana Tarasova, the organisation\u2019s Senior Scientific Officer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
According to the report, CO\u2082 growth rates have tripled since the 1960s, from 0.8 ppm per year to an average of 2.4 ppm between 2011 and 2020. The 2024 spike came during the warmest year on record, amplified by a strong El Ni\u00f1o weather pattern that reduced carbon uptake by forests and oceans.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Methane and nitrous oxide, the second and third most significant long-lived greenhouse gases, also hit record highs. Methane reached 1 942 parts per billion (ppb), 166% above pre-industrial levels, while nitrous oxide rose to 338 ppb, a 25% increase.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe heat trapped by CO\u2082 and other greenhouse gases is turbo-charging our climate and leading to more extreme weather,\u201d said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett. \u201cReducing emissions is therefore essential not just for our climate but also for our economic security and community well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The WMO warned that without swift and sustained emission cuts, the world risks crossing critical climate thresholds. It called for expanded global monitoring systems to improve understanding of greenhouse gas dynamics and guide policy responses.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The report was released ahead of the COP30 climate summit scheduled for November in Bel\u00e9m, Brazil, where countries are expected to present updated strategies for meeting global emission targets.<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12950,"template":"default||default","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-12949","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels surged to unprecedented highs in 2024, marking the largest annual increase since records began, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Wednesday.||Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels surged to unprecedented highs in 2024, marking the largest annual increase since records began, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Wednesday.","published_date":null,"news_description":"Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels surged to unprecedented highs in 2024, marking the largest annual increase since records began, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Wednesday.||Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels surged to unprecedented highs in 2024, marking the largest annual increase since records began, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Wednesday.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/12949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/12949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18302,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/12949\/revisions\/18302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=12949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}