WMO warns of escalating climate risks, says CO₂ levels hit record high in 2024
The annual growth rate of CO₂ in the atmosphere tripled compared to the 1960s, reaching an alarming 3.5 parts per million (ppm) between 2023 and 2024, the largest one-year increase since modern records began in 1957.
Despite unprecedented global efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in the atmosphere surged to a record high in 2024, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
The annual growth rate of CO₂ in the atmosphere tripled compared to the 1960s, reaching an alarming 3.5 parts per million (ppm) between 2023 and 2024, the largest one-year increase since modern records began in 1957.
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When the bulletin was first published in 2004, the annual average level of CO2 measured by WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch network of monitoring stations was 377.1 ppm.
It reached 423.9 ppm in 2024, representing a 12.4 per cent rise.
The measuring scale indicates how many CO₂ molecules are present for every one million molecules of air.
For example, the reading of 424 ppm means there are 420 CO₂ molecules for every one million air molecules.
Ideally, the findings suggest that the world’s progress in tackling climate change remains elusive, as rising emissions continue to drive the planet toward higher temperatures.
The report attributes this record rise to CO₂ emissions from human activities and a surge in wildfires in 2024, in combination with the reduced capacity of carbon sinks to remove CO₂ and regulate the climate.
"We rely on natural systems to help us offset our impacts, and those systems are so stressed that they start reducing their help," said WMO Senior Scientific Officer, Oksana Tarasova.
On her part, WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett said this compounds the problem further.
“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,” Barrett said.
Early this year, data from the climate monitoring agency Copernicus revealed that the year 2024 surpassed 2023 as the hottest year on record.
Copernicus is an Earth observation programme that monitors the planet's climate and environment.
In the report, Copernicus said global temperatures during the year under review reached a startling 1.6°C above pre-industrial levels, the period before humans began burning large amounts of fossil fuels.
This made 2024 the first calendar year to breach the critical 1.5°C threshold that nations pledged to avoid under the Paris Agreement.
This international accord, signed in 2015, set a global target to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, in an effort to mitigate catastrophic climate disruptions.
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