Carbon dioxide levels surge by record amount in 2024

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels surged by a record amount in 2024, reaching new highs and locking in further long-term warming and extreme weather, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The jump was driven by continued human emissions, increased wildfire activity, and weakened absorption by land and ocean systems, threatening to create a dangerous feedback loop that accelerates climate change.

The WMO‘s latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin shows that CO₂ growth rates have tripled since the 1960s, accelerating from an annual average increase of 0.8 parts per million to 2.4 ppm per year between 2011 and 2020. The rate jumped by a record 3.5 ppm between 2023 and 2024, the largest single-year increase since monitoring began in 1957. Average concentrations reached 423.9 ppm in 2024, up from 377.1 ppm when the bulletin was first published in 2004.

Roughly half of CO₂ emitted stays in the atmosphere, while the rest is absorbed by land and oceans. But this natural storage system is weakening as warming reduces ocean solubility and worsens drought. The 2024 spike was likely amplified by an uptick in wildfires and reduced CO₂ uptake by land and the ocean during the warmest year on record, influenced by a strong El Niño weather pattern. WMO senior scientific officer Oksana Tarasova, who coordinates the bulletin research, warned that weakening terrestrial and ocean sinks could increase the amount of CO₂ staying in the atmosphere, speeding up global warming.

Methane and nitrous oxide, the second and third most significant long-lived greenhouse gases, also set new emission records. Methane levels rose to 1,942 parts per billion, 166 percent above pre-industrial levels, while nitrous oxide hit 338 ppb, a 25 percent increase. WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett emphasized that the heat trapped by these gases is intensifying climate impacts and driving more extreme weather, making emission reductions essential for economic security and community well-being.

The WMO issued the report ahead of the COP30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil, starting in November, stressing that sustained global monitoring is vital for guiding climate action and understanding these dangerous feedback loops.