Rate Of Annual Atmospheric CO2 Increase In 2024 - 3.6 ppm - Was Twice That Needed For Putative 1.5C Goal
Wildfires that blazed around the world in 2024 helped to drive a record annual leap in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, surprising scientists. The data shows humanity is moving yet deeper into a dangerous world of supercharged extreme weather.
The CO2 level at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii jumped by 3.6 parts per million (ppm) to 427ppm, far above the 280ppm level before the large-scale burning of fossil fuels sparked the climate crisis. The Mauna Loa observations, known as the Keeling curve, began in 1958 and are the longest running direct measurements of CO2.
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Wildfires released billions of tonnes of CO2 in 2024, particularly in the Americas, and the climate crisis increased the severity and frequency of these fires. El Niño also played a part, but wildfires also raged after it had ended and in regions not affected by the climate phenomenon, such as Canada. El Niño also contributed to the record rise in CO2 because the hot, dry conditions it brings limits the plant growth which removes some human-generated CO2 from the atmosphere.
The 3.6ppm CO2 rise in 2024 was double the 1.8ppm level consistent with a path to net zero emissions and limiting global heating to 1.5C, Betts said. It was also above the Met Office prediction for 2024 of 2.8ppm, probably the result of emissions from wildfires reaching Mauna Loa. The Met Office prediction for 2025 is 2.3ppm as El Niño’s opposite phase, La Niña, encourages more vegetation growth.
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/17/wildfires-drive-record-leap-in-global-level-of-climate-heating-co2