Carbon dioxide and other key greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reach record levels

WMO has published a new report titled "Greenhouse Gas Bulletin" on greenhouse gas levels around the world.

The report said, "In 2025, the levels of carbon dioxide and other key greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached unprecedented peaks. This makes further warming of the planet inevitable in the long term. In 2025, the average surface carbon dioxide concentration on a global scale reached 426.8 units per million. This corresponds to 153 percent of the pre-industrial baseline level in 1750." expressions were used.

The report stated that methane and nitrogen oxide concentrations associated with human activities have also increased to new record levels.

Carbon dioxide increase rate has tripled since the 1960s

The report stated that approximately half of the total amount of carbon dioxide released each year remains in the atmosphere, while the rest is absorbed by land ecosystems and oceans, and pointed out that the rate of carbon dioxide increase has tripled since the 1960s.

The report stated that the average annual increase rate of 0.8 ppm (parts per million) reached an annual average of 2.4 ppm in the 2011-2020 period, and pointed out that the global average carbon dioxide concentration increased by 2.8 ppm from 2024 to 2025.

WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett, whose views are included in the report, said: "Another year, another record. Greenhouse gases trap unprecedented amounts of heat in the atmosphere, fueling more extreme weather events and the resulting risks to our economies and societies. We have left behind the 11 hottest years since record keeping began, and this trend looks set to continue." made his assessment.

Barrett noted that carbon dioxide has a very long lifespan and stated that this situation will continue to affect the global climate for centuries.

"The more moderate rate of increase (of carbon dioxide) from 2024 to 2025 reflects the recovery of terrestrial carbon sinks and the reduction of fire-induced carbon emissions following the strong El Niño event in 2023/2024," WMO Senior Scientific Officer Oksana Tarasova said. he said.

Stating that the El Nino weather event reduces the productivity of the biosphere by causing more severe droughts, drying of vegetation and more forest fires, Tarasova noted that an annual increase of 2.8 ppm in the amount of carbon dioxide indicates a significant increase in the amount added to the atmosphere as a result of fossil fuel use.

"In 2026, we can expect to see a further increase in atmospheric carbon concentrations, both due to fossil fuel use and the development of a strong El Niño, which will affect terrestrial carbon sinks, as in the 2023/2024 period," Tarasova said. made his assessment.