{"id":69492,"date":"2025-10-18T11:12:40","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T05:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=69492"},"modified":"2025-10-18T11:43:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T06:13:23","slug":"record-co%e2%82%82-rise-in-2024-marks-new-climate-alarm-wmo-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/record-co%e2%82%82-rise-in-2024-marks-new-climate-alarm-wmo-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Record CO\u2082 Rise in 2024 Marks New Climate Alarm: WMO Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>CO2 Rise Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the <\/span><b>World Meteorological Organization (WMO)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the <\/span><b>global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO\u2082)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rose by a record <\/span><b>3.5 parts per million (ppm)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between 2023 and 2024, reaching 423.9 ppm, the highest level ever recorded. This increase far exceeds the average annual rise seen during 2011\u20132020.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The year 2024 also became the warmest year on record, with global temperatures 1.55\u00b0C above pre-industrial levels \u2014 the first time the 1.5\u00b0C threshold was breached for an entire year.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Record Surge in CO\u2082 Concentrations: Understanding the Trends and Implications<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the WMO, the CO\u2082 concentration in the atmosphere reached 423.9 ppm in 2024, marking a record annual increase of 3.5 ppm \u2014 the highest since measurements began in 1957.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This level is now 152% higher than pre-industrial levels (278.3 ppm).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite global efforts to curb emissions, CO\u2082 concentrations have risen continuously for over 40 years without a single year of decline.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The rate of increase has tripled, from 0.8 ppm per year in the 1960s to 2.4 ppm between 2011\u20132020, before the current unprecedented spike.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Natural vs. Man-Made CO\u2082 Emissions<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CO\u2082 is released through both natural and human activities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Natural sources:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> respiration, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and decomposition.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Human sources:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> burning of fossil fuels, industrial emissions, and deforestation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While natural processes absorb almost all the CO\u2082 they emit through photosynthesis and oceanic absorption, only <\/span><b>half of human-induced emissions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are absorbed.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The remaining half accumulates in the atmosphere, intensifying the greenhouse effect.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>CO\u2082\u2019s Role Among Greenhouse Gases<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CO\u2082 is the most abundant GHG, accounting for over 90% of accumulated GHGs in the atmosphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it is less potent than other gases like methane (CH\u2084) and nitrous oxide (N\u2082O):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Methane<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: ~25 times more heat-trapping capacity than CO\u2082, but lasts 12\u201314 years.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Nitrous oxide<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: ~270 times more potent than CO\u2082, remains 100\u2013120 years.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>CO\u2082:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> persists for hundreds to thousands of years, making its effect cumulative and long-lasting.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Contribution to Global Warming<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CO\u2082 is responsible for about <\/span><b>66% of total global warming since pre-industrial times<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and about <\/span><b>79% of warming in the past decade<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Its persistence in the atmosphere ensures that even small increases have <\/span><b>long-term climate impacts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, reinforcing the urgent need for <\/span><b>deep emission cuts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to prevent irreversible warming.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why CO\u2082 Levels Rose Sharply in 2024: Natural and Human Factors Combined<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The record 3.5 ppm rise in CO\u2082 levels between 2023 and 2024 was not caused solely by human emissions, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Variations in the <\/span><b>natural carbon cycle also played a major role<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2024, both oceans and land-based carbon sinks absorbed less CO\u2082 than usual, while widespread forest fires released additional carbon into the atmosphere.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Global warming itself is weakening natural absorption systems:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Warmer oceans<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> absorb less CO\u2082 due to reduced solubility.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Extreme droughts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> dry out forests and grasslands, limiting their ability to absorb carbon.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These feedback effects \u2014 reduced absorption and increased emissions \u2014 reinforce one another, worsening the CO\u2082 imbalance and accelerating atmospheric buildup.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Methane and Nitrous Oxide Levels Rise in 2024, Though at a Slower Pace<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2024, atmospheric concentrations of methane (CH\u2084) and nitrous oxide (N\u2082O) continued to increase, though below the decade\u2019s average growth rate, according to WMO data.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Methane (CH\u2084):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Rose by 8 parts per billion (ppb) to 1,942 ppb, compared to the decadal average increase of 10.6 ppb per year.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Nitrous oxide (N\u2082O):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Increased by 1 ppb to 338 ppb, slightly lower than the average annual rise of 1.07 ppb in the last decade.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cumulatively, CH\u2084 contributes about 16% and N\u2082O about 6% of total global warming since pre-industrial times, with the remaining share arising from CO\u2082 and other greenhouse gases.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Rising Greenhouse Gases Highlight Growing Climate Crisis and Policy Failures<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Natural processes that once absorbed carbon \u2014 such as forests and oceans \u2014 are becoming less effective under global warming, amplifying gas buildup.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, human-controlled emissions continue to rise despite international commitments.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even after a decade of the Paris Agreement, global emissions remain high, and the 2030 reduction targets are unlikely to be met.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With global temperatures surpassing 1.5\u00b0C in 2024, the data reveal a deepening climate crisis and the failure of existing frameworks to reverse the trend.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-climate\/explained-rising-co2-levels-10313591\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Global CO\u2082 concentration hit a record 423.9 ppm in 2024, rising 3.5 ppm in a year \u2014 the highest ever, worsening global warming beyond 1.5\u00b0C.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":69517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[3313,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-69492","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-co2-rise","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}