Atmospheric CO2 levels surged to a record 3.58 ppm increase in 2024, exceeding predictions and driven by record fossil fuel emissions, diminished carbon absorption by natural sinks, and significant wildfire emissions. This rapid increase far surpasses the rate needed to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C warming target, as outlined by the IPCC. The 2024 increase in emissions, reaching 41.6 billion tonnes, further underscores the urgency of emissions reduction. While the projected increase for 2025 is slower, it remains insufficient to align with the IPCC’s climate goals.
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A Dutch appeals court has overturned a 2021 ruling that required Shell to reduce its emissions by 45% by 2030, upholding the company’s appeal. While acknowledging climate change as a human right, the court determined that Shell, while responsible for emission reductions, has the right to decide how those cuts will be made. Although the court acknowledged the need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, it deemed Shell’s existing emissions reduction plans sufficient. Friends of the Earth Netherlands, the organization that initiated the lawsuit, expressed disappointment but maintains its commitment to holding major polluters accountable for their role in climate change.
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The staggering reality of our current situation is that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are skyrocketing at an alarming rate, surpassing anything that humans have ever faced before. It’s a grim reminder of the damage we are inflicting on our planet as a result of our relentless burning of fossil fuels, releasing CO2 pollution into the atmosphere at an unprecedented pace. The recent data from NOAA, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the University of California San Diego paints a grim picture of our current trajectory.
The most recent measurements at the Mauna Loa Observatory show that CO2 concentrations hit a record peak of 426.9 parts per million in May 2024, marking a significant increase from the previous year and making it one of the largest annual growth rates in the past half-century.… Continue reading
John Q. Hosedrinker