Surroundings|According to a release from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever during human existence.
In the year The atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations measured in 2023 were higher than ever before in the history of measurements, says the Finnish Meteorological Institute in its release.
The concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by more than ten percent in just two decades. The data can be found in the summary published by the World Meteorological Organization WMO.
According to the release, the concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased significantly since the time before industrialization, i.e. since 1750. The concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 51 percent, the concentration of methane by 165 percent and the concentration of nitrous oxide by 25 percent.
According to the release, carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever during human existence. The amount of carbon dioxide has increased by 11.4 percent since 2004, the release states.
Carbon dioxide concentrations have last been this high 3–5 million years ago, when the Earth’s average temperature was, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, 2–3 degrees higher than today and sea levels were 10–20 meters higher than today.
“The increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is mainly caused by the use of fossil fuels, but also by cement production and land use. In 2023, the amount of carbon dioxide also increased due to carbon dioxide emissions from large vegetation fires and possibly a decrease in the carbon sink of forests,” says the head of the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s unit in the press release. Annalea Lohila.
The figures in WMO’s The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin compilation are based on the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) global atmospheric monitoring program. The GAW network of stations monitors atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations in different parts of the world. The Finnish Meteorological Institute has participated in the GAW program since 1994.
Correction on Monday, October 28 skull 12.32: Corrected incorrect percentages for the increase in carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide concentrations after 1750.