The rapid rise of atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide has been continuing in 2022, observed the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists, with methane levels in the atmosphere more than two and a half times their pre-industrial level.
The global surface average for CO2 rose by 2.13 parts per million (ppm) to 417.06 ppm, which makes atmospheric CO2 50% higher than pre-industrial levels.
Notably, 2022 marked the 11th consecutive year CO2 increased by more than 2 ppm, the highest sustained rate of CO2 increases in the 65 years since monitoring began.
Before 2013, scientists had never recorded three consecutive years of such high CO2 growth.