Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Four fetuses and three premature babies died at Nasser Medical Complex due to malnutrition
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Burj Qalawieh, south Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The first ship of the Maghreb fleet delivering aid to break the siege on Gaza departs from the port of Gammarth in Tunisia.
Channel 12: Airspace closed at Ramon Airport due to fears of drone infiltration
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded over an aircraft infiltration in the Bir Ora area, and details are being examined
Drone infiltration sirens sound north of the Gulf of Aqaba
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out five extremely violent raids on the western areas of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out major bombings in the Gaza Strip, the most violent since October 7
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree: The missile force carried out a major operation using the Palestine 2 ballistic hypersonic missile, hitting several targets in occupied Yafa.
Sirens sound in large areas of occupied Palestine after a missile launch from Yemen was detected

Record surge in global CO2 levels fueled by wildfires

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 17 Jan 2025 11:21
4 Min Read

Data from 2024 indicate that humanity is increasingly entering a perilous era of intensified extreme weather events.

Listen
  • x
  • The Palisades fire burns a residence in Los Angeles, on Tuesday January 7,2025. (AP)
    The Palisades fire burns a residence in Los Angeles, on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. (AP)

Wildfires in 2024 were a major contributor to a record-breaking surge in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, catching scientists off guard, a recent report by The Guardian revealed. This alarming trend underscores humanity's increasing entanglement with a world beset by escalating extreme weather events.

At Hawaii's Mauna Loa observatory, CO2 levels rose by 3.6 parts per million (ppm) to reach 427ppm, a stark contrast to the pre-industrial level of 280ppm before large-scale fossil fuel combustion initiated the climate crisis. The Mauna Loa observations, known as the Keeling Curve, have tracked CO2 levels since 1958, making them the longest-running direct measurements.

The sharp rise was caused by emissions from burning forests, which compounded record-high emissions from coal, oil, and gas in 2024. The El Niño climate phenomenon also contributed by creating hotter and drier tropical conditions. Scientists noted, however, that a record increase likely would have occurred even without El Niño.

Dive deeper

Global average temperatures also hit a record high in 2024, exacerbating extreme heatwaves, storms, and floods that affected billions worldwide. This marked the first time the planet exceeded the 1.5°C (2.7°F) threshold agreed upon as a target under the Paris Climate Accord. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized the fossil fuel industry, saying it was “pocketing profits while their products wreak havoc.”

Related News

Cutting air pollution could save 30,000 US lives by 2030

Study links Iberian wildfires to climate change, 40x higher risk

While the 1.5°C limit is a long-term goal meant to be measured over a decade or more, scientists stated that 2024's CO2 increase was incompatible with staying below that threshold. Although the CO2 rise in 2025 is expected to be lower at 2.3ppm due to La Niña’s vegetation growth effect, it will still exceed the level needed to meet the Paris Agreement goals.

“This is obviously bad news,” Professor Richard Betts of the UK Met Office, whose team analyzed the CO2 rise, told The Guardian.

“But even if it looks like we won’t meet the ambitious Paris goal of 1.5°C, it is still worth making every effort to limit the rise. 1.5°C is not a cliff-edge after which all is lost. There are lots of solutions already available without any new inventions. This must be extra motivation to work even harder,” Betts added.

The continuous rise in global temperatures means that every tonne of CO2 saved helps to reduce human suffering, with solutions to cut carbon already in place. However, as The Guardian reported in May, most climate experts expect the world to far exceed the 1.5°C limit, attributing the failure to political inaction.

Why it matters

Wildfires, particularly in the Americas, emitted billions of tonnes of CO2 in 2024. The climate crisis intensified the severity and frequency of these fires. Although El Niño contributed to the CO2 spike by suppressing plant growth, fires continued even after El Niño ended and in areas unaffected by it, such as Canada.

The 3.6ppm rise in CO2 during 2024 was double the 1.8ppm increase consistent with a pathway to net-zero emissions and limiting warming to 1.5°C, according to Betts. The Met Office’s initial 2024 prediction of 2.8ppm was exceeded, likely due to wildfire emissions reaching Mauna Loa.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Guterres called attention to the human cost of climate inaction. “Who pays the price for climate destruction around the globe? Not the fossil fuel industry pocketing profits and taxpayer subsidies as their products wreak havoc,” he said. “Every day, people suffer: with their lives and livelihoods; with higher insurance premiums, volatile energy bills, and higher food prices.”

Guterres also criticized government subsidies for fossil fuels, stating, “Today, governments around the globe spend nine times more making fossil fuels cheaper than they do on making clean energy more affordable for consumers. We must tear down these walls.”

  • Climate change
  • co2 levels
  • wildfires
  • weather
STOP THE HEAT: A Climate Change Coverage

STOP THE HEAT: A Climate Change Coverage

Most Read

The damaged building in the Katara neighborhood, Doha, Qatar, September 9, 2025 (Social media)

Hamas delegation survives Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar

  • Politics
  • 9 Sep 2025
Israeli police and rescue teams respond at the scene of a shooting attack where several people killed and injured in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 (AP)

Al-Quds shooting: 7 settlers killed, several critically injured

  • Politics
  • 8 Sep 2025
Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

American far-right activist Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Friday, September 27, 2024 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' stops unfunded diplomacy ahead of UN, October 7 memorial

An Israeli Air Force fighter jet releases flares over the Gaza Strip, is seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 8, 2025 (AP)
Politics

OIC summit draft: Israeli attack on Qatar risks normalization

People shout slogans and hold Palestinian flags while protesting during the twenty-first stage of La Vuelta cycling race from Alalpardo to Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP)
Sports

Pro-Palestine protests force abrupt end to Vuelta a España finale

Damage is seen after an Israeli strike targeted a compound that hosted Hamas' political leadership in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli regime faces growing isolation over Qatar strike: Reports

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS