**Record CO2 Levels Highlight Need for Climate Action in Canada** A prominent Canadian climate scientist warns that a recent report indicating record-high carbon dioxide levels in 2024 underscores the urgent need for Canada to maintain its climate commitments. The World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) annual greenhouse gas bulletin reveals that the growth rate of CO2 has tripled since the 1960s. This increase is attributed to ongoing fossil fuel emissions and a decline in the capacity of forests, oceans, and other natural carbon sinks to absorb CO2.

Damon Matthews, a climate scientist at Concordia University, emphasizes that this report should serve as a wake-up call for governments in Canada and worldwide. He advocates for immediate action to reduce emissions to stabilize the climate. Matthews, who is part of an independent federal climate advisory group, criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for his stance on climate change, which he described as a “con job.” Trump has previously canceled significant renewable energy projects and withdrawn the U.S. from the United Nations climate accord, urging global leaders to reconsider their clean energy initiatives.

The WMO report attributes the record CO2 growth to significant emissions from wildfires and a decrease in carbon absorption by land and oceans during 2024, which has been marked as the hottest year on record, influenced by a strong El Niño climate pattern. Approximately half of the carbon emitted into the atmosphere is typically absorbed by the Earth’s ecosystems and oceans. However, the report raises concerns about diminishing absorption rates. Rising temperatures are causing oceans to absorb less CO2, while land carbon sinks are affected by drier vegetation and more intense wildfires.

Matthews warns that the world has not yet reached a so-called “new normal” regarding climate conditions. He stated, “We are nowhere near the new normal at the current trend. Things are going to continue getting worse and worse until we actually solve the problem fundamentally.” He stressed the necessity of cutting global emissions in half and continuing to reduce them toward zero to stabilize CO2 levels.

The findings in the WMO bulletin align with a June report co-authored by Matthews and over 60 other scientists, which indicated that the world is on track to exceed the international global warming target of 1.5 degrees Celsius within the next three years. United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell has warned that the Earth is currently on a trajectory for a 3-degree Celsius increase.

The WMO bulletin was released ahead of the upcoming UN climate summit, COP30, scheduled for next month in Brazil, where leaders are expected to be urged to enhance climate action. Oksana Tarasova, coordinator of the WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, stated, “Sustaining and expanding greenhouse gas monitoring are critical to support such efforts.”

The report notes that CO2 growth rates have accelerated from an average increase of 2.4 parts per million per year from 2011 to 2020 to 3.5 ppm from 2023 to 2024. Data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicates that carbon dioxide levels continue to rise at one of the highest rates on record, although not as steeply as the previous year.