In WMO Report Atmospheric CO2 Levels Hit 420 ppm in 2023, Highest in 800,000 Years.

International

In March 2025, the Geneva-based World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) released its report titled State of the Global Climate Report 2024, stating that atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels reached 420 parts per million (ppm) in 2023, the highest in the last 800,000 years.


      - According to WMO, 420 ppm of CO2 is equivalent to 3,276 Gigatonnes (Gt) or 3.276 trillion tons of CO2 in the atmosphere. The CO2 levels in 2023 were 2.3 ppm higher than in 2022 and 151% of the pre-industrial level (1750).

      - The report projected that long-term global warming is expected to be between 1.34°C and 1.41°C compared to the 1850-1900 baseline.

     

Main Point :-   (i) The report indicated that 2024 is likely the first calendar year (CY) to exceed 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era, with a global average temperature of 1.55°C ±0.13°C above the 1850-1990 average, marking it as the warmest year in a 175-year observational record.

      (ii) Nearly 90% of the additional heat trapped by greenhouse gases (GHGs) is absorbed by the oceans, which is further warming ocean waters and impacting marine life, weather patterns, and sea levels.


About World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)

Secretary General: Celeste Saulo
Headquarters: Geneva
          ____________________________