Record CO₂ Rise in 2024 Marks New Climate Alarm: WMO Report

CO2 Rise Latest News

• According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) rose by a record 3.5 parts per million (ppm) between 2023 and 2024, reaching 423.9 ppm, the highest level ever recorded. This increase far exceeds the average annual rise seen during 2011–2020.
• The year 2024 also became the warmest year on record, with global temperatures 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels — the first time the 1.5°C threshold was breached for an entire year. 
• The data highlights the failure of the Paris Agreement framework to curb emissions effectively and signals a worsening climate crisis with potentially irreversible impacts if warming continues.

Record Surge in CO₂ Concentrations: Understanding the Trends and Implications

• According to the WMO, the CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere reached 423.9 ppm in 2024, marking a record annual increase of 3.5 ppm — the highest since measurements began in 1957.
• This level is now 152% higher than pre-industrial levels (278.3 ppm). 
• Despite global efforts to curb emissions, CO₂ concentrations have risen continuously for over 40 years without a single year of decline.
• The rate of increase has tripled, from 0.8 ppm per year in the 1960s to 2.4 ppm between 2011–2020, before the current unprecedented spike.

Natural vs. Man-Made CO₂ Emissions

• CO₂ is released through both natural and human activities.
• Natural sources: respiration, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and decomposition.
• Human sources: burning of fossil fuels, industrial emissions, and deforestation.
• While natural processes absorb almost all the CO₂ they emit through photosynthesis and oceanic absorption, only half of human-induced emissions are absorbed. 
• The remaining half accumulates in the atmosphere, intensifying the greenhouse effect.

CO₂’s Role Among Greenhouse Gases

• CO₂ is the most abundant GHG, accounting for over 90% of accumulated GHGs in the atmosphere. 
• However, it is less potent than other gases like methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O):
  • Methane: ~25 times more heat-trapping capacity than CO₂, but lasts 12–14 years.
  • Nitrous oxide: ~270 times more potent than CO₂, remains 100–120 years.
  • CO₂: persists for hundreds to thousands of years, making its effect cumulative and long-lasting.

Contribution to Global Warming

• CO₂ is responsible for about 66% of total global warming since pre-industrial times, and about 79% of warming in the past decade.
• Its persistence in the atmosphere ensures that even small increases have long-term climate impacts, reinforcing the urgent need for deep emission cuts to prevent irreversible warming.

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Why CO₂ Levels Rose Sharply in 2024: Natural and Human Factors Combined

• The record 3.5 ppm rise in CO₂ levels between 2023 and 2024 was not caused solely by human emissions, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 
• Variations in the natural carbon cycle also played a major role.
• In 2024, both oceans and land-based carbon sinks absorbed less CO₂ than usual, while widespread forest fires released additional carbon into the atmosphere.
• Global warming itself is weakening natural absorption systems:
  • Warmer oceans absorb less CO₂ due to reduced solubility.
  • Extreme droughts dry out forests and grasslands, limiting their ability to absorb carbon.
• These feedback effects — reduced absorption and increased emissions — reinforce one another, worsening the CO₂ imbalance and accelerating atmospheric buildup.

Methane and Nitrous Oxide Levels Rise in 2024, Though at a Slower Pace

• In 2024, atmospheric concentrations of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) continued to increase, though below the decade’s average growth rate, according to WMO data.
  • Methane (CH₄): Rose by 8 parts per billion (ppb) to 1,942 ppb, compared to the decadal average increase of 10.6 ppb per year.
  • Nitrous oxide (N₂O): Increased by 1 ppb to 338 ppb, slightly lower than the average annual rise of 1.07 ppb in the last decade.
• Cumulatively, CH₄ contributes about 16% and N₂O about 6% of total global warming since pre-industrial times, with the remaining share arising from CO₂ and other greenhouse gases.

Rising Greenhouse Gases Highlight Growing Climate Crisis and Policy Failures

• The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin underscores the worsening challenge of curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) accumulation, as both human activities and destabilised natural systems now drive atmospheric increases.
• Natural processes that once absorbed carbon — such as forests and oceans — are becoming less effective under global warming, amplifying gas buildup. 
• Meanwhile, human-controlled emissions continue to rise despite international commitments.
• Even after a decade of the Paris Agreement, global emissions remain high, and the 2030 reduction targets are unlikely to be met. 
• With global temperatures surpassing 1.5°C in 2024, the data reveal a deepening climate crisis and the failure of existing frameworks to reverse the trend.

Source: IE