Carbon dioxide as well as other warming gases increased by record levels in 2024: WMO

Carbon Dioxide and Other Warming Gases Increased by Record Levels in 2024: WMO Sends Red Signal

Analysis:

1. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in its Greenhouse Gas Bulletin (2025) has sounded a “red signal” for the planet, reporting that carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other major greenhouse gases surged to record levels in 2024, driven by human activities, wildfires, and a reduced capacity of natural sinks such as forests and oceans.
2. The global average CO₂ concentration rose by 3.5 ppm between 2023 and 2024, the largest annual increase since measurements began in 1957, reaching 423.9 ppm — up 12.5% in just two decades (compared to 377.1 ppm in 2004).
3. The WMO attributes this unprecedented spike to:
   • Continued fossil fuel emissions,
   • Wildfire emissions in regions like the Amazon and southern Africa, and
   • Reduced CO₂ uptake by natural sinks due to El Niño-induced droughts and high temperatures.
4. The year 2024 was the warmest on record, with El Niño conditions amplifying droughts, wildfires, and ocean warming — further weakening natural carbon absorption.
5. CO₂ Growth Rate Trend:
   • 1960s: 0.8 ppm/year
   • 2011–2020: 2.4 ppm/year
   • 2024: 3.5 ppm/year (record high)
   This means the CO₂ growth rate has nearly tripled since the 1960s.
6. WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrettstated:

   “The heat trapped by CO₂ and other greenhouse gases is turbo-charging our climate and leading to more extreme weather. Reducing emissions is essential not just for climate stability but for economic security and community well-being.”

7. The report has been released ahead of COP30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, set to be held in Belem, Brazil, in November 2025 — urging policymakers to deliver tangible outcomes rather than “theoretical climate action.”

Other Greenhouse Gases Also Rising:

1. Methane (CH₄):
   • Contributes ~16% of total global warming effect.
   • Lifetime: ~9 years.
   • Sources: 60% anthropogenic (livestock, fossil fuels, landfills, rice cultivation), 40% natural (wetlands).
   • Methane levels hit an all-time high in 2024, continuing the steep climb of recent years.
2. Nitrous Oxide (N₂O):
   • Global average concentration reached 338 ppb in 2024, a 25% increase over pre-industrial levels.
   • Sources include agriculture (fertilizers, manure), biomass burning, and industrial emissions.

Scientific Context & Concerns:

• Natural Sinks Weakening: Land ecosystems and oceans currently absorb ~half of human CO₂ emissions, but rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns are reducing their efficiency, creating a vicious climate feedback loop.
• Wildfires: Massive 2024 wildfires contributed significantly to CO₂ release while simultaneously reducing vegetation that could act as a sink.
• El Niño Effect: Typically reduces tropical vegetation growth and enhances fire risk, further spiking atmospheric CO₂ levels.
• Long-term Implication: Even if emissions stabilize, these gases persist — locking in centuries of warming.

Policy Relevance:

• The WMO report provides scientific inputfor climate negotiations at COP30, calling for:
  • Faster fossil fuel phase-out,
  • Protection and restoration of carbon sinks,
  • Enhanced global greenhouse gas monitoring, and
  • Accountability for high-emitting nations.

Static Insight:

• Greenhouse Effect: CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O trap infrared radiation, warming the Earth’s lower atmosphere.
• Global CO₂ Levels: Pre-industrial (~1750): 280 ppm → Now (2024): 423.9 ppm.
• WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin: Annual flagship report assessing concentrations and trends of key greenhouse gases.
• El Niño: A periodic climate pattern in the Pacific that influences global temperature and precipitation, often amplifying drought and fire events.
  
  Updated -  16 Oct 2025, 5:21 pm | Down to Earth