Record CO2 levels raise alarms over climate change

October 17, 2025

A new World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report has revealed that carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in Earth’s atmosphere have reached the highest point ever recorded, intensifying global warming and triggering more frequent extreme weather events.

According to the report, from 2023 to 2024, global average CO2 concentrations increased by 3.5 parts per million (ppm) — the largest single-year rise since modern records began in 1957. The findings were published ahead of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil.

The surge in CO2 emissions has been largely fueled by continued fossil fuel consumption and widespread wildfires, particularly across South America. The WMO emphasized that urgent action is needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions before climate impacts worsen further.

“The heat trapped by CO2 and other greenhouse gases is turbocharging our climate, leading to increasingly extreme weather,” said Ko Barrett, Deputy Secretary-General of the WMO.

In addition to CO2, methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O)—two other potent greenhouse gases—also reached record highs. Compared to pre-industrial levels, methane has increased by 16%, nitrous oxide by 25%, and CO2 by 52%.

“Carbon dioxide lingers in the atmosphere for centuries,” explained Oksana Tarasova, WMO Senior Scientific Officer. “Each molecule emitted contributes to long-term global climate change.”

While forests, soils, and oceans currently absorb around half of global carbon emissions, their capacity to act as carbon sinks is weakening. “We depend on natural ecosystems to balance our impact, but these systems are under immense stress,” Tarasova noted.

In the Amazon rainforest, trees are increasingly strained by heat and drought conditions linked to the El Niño phenomenon and rising global temperatures. During the 2023–2024 period, prolonged drought and reduced rainfall severely limited photosynthesis.

“When trees face high heat and lack of water, their ability to photosynthesize—and therefore absorb CO2—drops dramatically,” Tarasova added.

The WMO’s findings underscore the urgency of global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, restore natural ecosystems, and transition to clean energy sources before climate feedback loops become irreversible.