Pollution levels in the Earth's atmosphere—in the past year—reached unprecedented levels in human history, a recent report warned on Monday.
For the report's authors, this result is a worrying indicator of the world's failure to curb climate change, as global temperatures are on track to set another record high.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) bulletin "The State of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere Based on Global Observations through 2023" reports that carbon dioxide concentrations, the most influential element in global warming, are currently growing faster than ever in human history.
The report attributed this increase to the rise in fossil fuel consumption rates, as well as the weakened ability of ecosystems to absorb carbon and the increased chances of emissions production.
The WMO stated that levels of other potent greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, also reached their highest levels ever in 2023.
The total warming potential in the atmosphere is now 51.5% higher than its previous level in 1990, when U.N. scientists first warned that the world was on track for catastrophic climate change.
In a statement, Andrea Celeste Saulo, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), expressed concern among decision-makers, stating that even a slight increase in temperature can significantly affect our lives and the planet.
Over the past 14 months, global temperatures have been at least 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than pre-industrial levels, according to the European Climate Foundation.
In a report last week, U.N. researchers emphasized the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 42% below 2019 levels to avoid permanently exceeding this threshold and triggering the most severe consequences of global warming.
However, Monday's greenhouse gas bulletin demonstrates how far the world is from reaching this objective.
Based on data from hundreds of measurement stations spread across more than 80 countries and all ocean monitoring devices in the world, the report found that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere last year exceeded 420 parts per million, a level not seen since the Pliocene epoch, over 3 million years ago.
At that time, global temperatures were 2 to 3 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) higher, sea levels were 30 to 60 feet higher, and modern humans did not yet exist.
The report attributed the majority of this increase to certain human activities, such as burning coal, oil, and gas. However, researchers from the WMO also found concerning evidence that human-induced warming has caused natural systems to release more greenhouse gases, which harms the Earth's ability to absorb human-made emissions.
Scientists said that the increase in carbon dioxide concentrations last year coincided with the largest noticeable rise in carbon monoxide, a gas produced when trees burn.
During the 2023–2024 fire season, Australia experienced a historic drought, and Canada saw the burning of 37 million acres of forest, resulting in a 16% increase in global carbon emissions from wildfires compared to the average.
Recent data suggests that ecosystem degradation may be contributing to methane levels rising.
The chemical analysis of methane, which traps heat 28 times more than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period, indicates that it increasingly comes from microbial activity, not the burning of fossil fuels.
Even though landfill and cow intestine bacteria may contribute to this increase, researchers worry that tropical wetlands and Arctic permafrost melting may also be to blame.
According to data from the Global Monitoring Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), ecosystems absorbed about 28% less carbon last year than they did in 2021 and 2022.
This decline may be partially due to the record high temperatures in 2023, which are known to stress plants and limit the ability of ecosystems to function as carbon sinks.
The researchers said that as global temperatures continue to rise, natural carbon sinks weaken, making it increasingly difficult to achieve global climate goals.
In a statement, Ko Barrett, the Deputy Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, said that we are facing a potential feedback loop and that "these climate feedbacks are critical concerns to human society."
