Geneva – Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels in the atmosphere soared by a record amount to new highs in 2024, committing the planet to more long-term temperature increase, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin said continued emissions of CO 2 from human activities and an upsurge from wildfires were responsible, as well as reduced CO 2 absorption by “sinks” such as land ecosystems and the ocean – in what threatens to be a vicious climate cycle.

Growth rates of CO 2 have tripled since the 1960s, accelerating from an annual average increase of 0.8 ppm per year to 2.4 ppm per year in the decade from 2011 to 2020. From 2023 to 2024, the global average concentration of CO 2 surged by 3.5 ppm, the largest increase

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