Greenhouse Gas Levels Set Records In 2025, UN Says
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBS News: Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere rose to record highs in 2025, locking in climate impacts that will persist for centuries, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Levels of the three main greenhouse gases -- the climate-warming carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide -- all rose to unprecedented figures in 2025, the U.N.'s weather…
The United Nations announced on Tuesday that greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere reached record highs in 2025, setting the stage for long-lasting climate impacts, according to CBS News. The World Meteorological Organization's weather and climate agency reported the rise in levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, the three primary greenhouse gases.
The concentrations of these gases, measured in parts per million and billion, are now 153%, 267%, and 126% of pre-industrial levels before 1750, respectively. Carbon dioxide, responsible for about 66% of the warming effect, rose by 2.8 parts per million from 2024 to 2025, a smaller increase than the 3.6 parts per million surge between 2023 and 2024.
WMO senior scientific officer Oksana Tarasova attributed this to the recovery of land carbon sinks and reduced fire emissions in 2025 after the strong 2023/2024 El Niño weather phenomenon. Despite the smaller increase, the 2.8 parts per million annual rise still represents a significant addition of carbon to the atmosphere, primarily from fossil fuel burning.
WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett emphasized that each year brings a new record, with greenhouse gases trapping unprecedented amounts of heat in the atmosphere, fueling extreme weather and posing risks to economies and societies.
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