Carbon dioxide in atmosphere reaches new high, U.N. report says
The WMO blamed the increasing carbon dioxide emissions on human activity, a rise in wildfires and a reduction in carbon sinks.
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Smoke and haze over New York City is seen from the observation deck of the Empire State Building due to wildfires in Canada on June 30, 2023. The World Meteorological Organization said an increase in wildfires, human activity and a decrease in carbon sinks are to blame for an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (John Angelillo/UPI)
Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Carbon dioxide levels in the Earth's atmosphere reached a new record high in 2024, the World Meteorological Organization said Wednesday in a report that called for strengthened monitoring amid an increase in temperatures and extreme weather.
The U.N. agency, based in Switzerland, said the global average concentration of carbon dioxide rose from 420.4 ppm in 2023 to 423.9 ppm in 2024. That's an increase of 3.5 ppm or 0.83%, according to the agency's Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.
When the bulletin was first published in 2004, the annual global average concentration of carbon dioxide was 377.1 ppm. Over the past two decades, the concentration has risen 12.41%.
The WMO blamed the increasing carbon dioxide emissions on human activity, a rise in wildfires and a reduction in carbon sinks -- areas where the land and ocean absorb more carbon dioxide than they release into the atmosphere.
Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide have also risen to record levels, according to the WMO. In 2024, the global average methane concentration was 1,942 ppb, a 166% increase over pre-industrial levels. Nitrous oxide has risen 25% in the same time period, to 338 ppb.
WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett said the heat trapped by carbon dioxide is turbo-charging" the climate and causing a greater frequency and intensity in extreme weather.
"Reducing emissions is therefore essential not just for our climate but also for our economic security and community well-being," he said.
Oksana Tarasova, a WMO senior scientific officer, said the new data indicates how important it is to strengthen monitoring of emissions to better understand and prepare for greenhouse gases.
"There is concern that terrestrial and ocean CO2 sinks are becoming less effective, which will increase the amount of CO2 that stays in the atmosphere, thereby accelerating global warming," Tarasova said.
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