UN agency says C02 levels hit record high last year, causing more extreme weather
GENEVA — GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations weather agency said Wednesday that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached new records last year and that the heat trapped by these greenhouse gases is “turbocharging” Earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather.
The World Meteorological Organization said in its latest greenhouse gas bulletin that CO2 growth rates have now tripled since the 1960s, and that emissions from human activities and increased wildfires have helped fuel a “vicious climate cycle.”
The Geneva-based agency said the increase in global average carbon dioxide concentration between 2023 and 2024 represented the highest annual level recorded since measurements began in 1957.
“Heat trapped by CO2 and other greenhouse gases fuels our climate and leads to more extreme weather,” WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett said in a statement. “Reducing emissions is therefore essential not only for our climate, but also for our economic security and the well-being of our communities. »
The predicted increase in 2024 puts the planet on track for longer-term temperature increases, the WMO said. He noted that concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide – other greenhouse gases caused by human activity – have also reached record levels.
