WMO: Carbon dioxide building up in the atmosphere faster than ever

By the Climate Centre

Greenhouse gas in the atmosphere surged to a new record in 2023, “committing the planet to rising temperatures for many years to come,” a new report from the World Meteorological Organization says today.

Last year, large wildfires, possible reduction in carbon absorption by forests, and  “stubbornly high” emissions from human activity drove the increase, according the WMO’s annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin says.

“CO2 is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than any time experienced during human existence, rising by more than 10 per cent in just two decades.”

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said today: “Another year, another record. This should set alarm bells ringing among decision-makers. We are clearly off-track to meet the Paris Agreement [while] every fraction of a degree temperature increase has a real impact on our lives and our planet.”

Rather than emissions, the GHG bulletin reports on greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, although there is considerable year-to-year variability with these because of El Niño and La Niña; during El Niños, GHG levels tend to rise because drier vegetation and forest fires reduce the efficiency of land-based carbon sinks. In May 2023, Earth transitioned from a three-year La Niña to El Niño.

Temperatures ‘far above’ the Paris goals?

“Given the extremely long life of CO2 in the atmosphere, the temperature level already observed will persist for several decades even if emissions are rapidly reduced to net zero,” a WMO press release says.

The last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was 3–5 million years ago, the WMO adds, when the temperature was 2–3°C warmer and sea levels 10–20 metres higher.

The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin complements the UN Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap Report 2023, which compares where the world is likely to be in practice on emissions with where it should be under Paris – both published in the run-up to COP 29 in Azerbaijan.

The 2023 UNEP report concludes the world is heading for a temperature rise “far above” Paris goals unless countries deliver more than promised.

Photo: NASA. The US space agency said last week that its investments in climate research and technology had contributed nearly US$ 8 billion in economic impact.