Extreme Temperature Diary- Friday October 17th, 2025/Main Topic: Record 2024 Leap in CO2 Fuels Fears of Accelerating Global Heating – Guy On Climate
Dear Diary. I’m just shaking my head. Every year I get a CO2 atmospheric report leaving me with disappoint when it comes to the action from my fellow man. The one from 2024 was no different. What’s very unnerving is that the yearly 2024 increase was near 3.50 parts per million. That’s well above the typical 2.50 ppm I have been seeing since the turn of the century. Some scientists chalk this increase up to carbon sync tipping points breaking down. Totally going to renewable sources of energy can’t come fast enough…but right now turtles are speedier.
For many more details on this bad news, here is an article from the Guardian:
Oh oh ...
Record leap in CO2 fuels fears of accelerating global heating.
CO2 in air hit new high last year, with scientists concerned natural land and ocean carbon sinks are weakening.
#climate #ClimateCrisis #ClimateScience
www.theguardian.com/environment/... — Dr Paul Dorfman (@drpauldorfman.bsky.social) 2025-10-15T16:27:52.501Z
Record leap in CO2 fuels fears of accelerating global heating | Greenhouse gas emissions | The Guardian
Greenhouse gas emissions
Record leap in CO2 fuels fears of accelerating global heatingCO2 in air hit new high last year, with scientists concerned natural land and ocean carbon sinks are weakening Rising CO2 emissions will impact the planet for hundreds of years because of the gas’s long lifetime in the atmosphere. Photograph: Charlie Riedel/AP
Greenhouse gas emissions
Damian Carrington Environment editor
Wed 15 Oct 2025
Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere soared by a record amount in 2024 to hit another high, UN data shows, deepening the climate crisis that is already taking lives and livelihoods across the world.
Scientists are worried that the natural land and ocean “sinks” that remove CO2 from the air are weakening as a result of global heating, which could form a vicious circle and drive temperatures up even faster.
The global average concentration of the gas surged by 3.5 parts per million to 424ppm in 2024, the largest increase since modern measurements started in 1957, according to the report by the World Meteorological Organization.
Several factors contributed to the leap in CO2, including another year of unrelenting fossil fuel burning despite a pledge by the world’s countries in 2023 to “transition away” from coal, oil and gas. Another factor was an upsurge in wildfires in conditions made hotter and drier by global heating. Wildfire emissions in the Americas reached historic levels in 2024, which was the hottest year yet recorded.
However, scientists are concerned about a third factor: the possibility that the planet’s carbon sinks are beginning to fail. About half of all CO2 emissions every year are taken back out of the atmosphere by being dissolved in the ocean or being sucked up by growing trees and plants. But the oceans are getting hotter and can therefore absorb less CO2 while on land hotter and drier conditions and more wildfires mean less plant growth.
Carbon sinks were already known to be less effective in El Niño years such as 2023 and 2024, when changes in Pacific winds and ocean currents lead to higher global air temperatures. But human-caused global heating has already raised the average world temperatures by about 1.3C and researchers, who recorded an “ unprecedented failure of the land sink” in 2023 and 2024, fear this may be weakening the sinks. skip past newsletter promotion
Dr Oksana Tarasova, a WMO senior scientific officer, said: “There is concern that terrestrial and ocean CO2 sinks are becoming less effective, which will increase the amount of CO2 that stays in the atmosphere, thereby accelerating global warming. Sustained and strengthened greenhouse gas monitoring is critical to understanding these loops.”
Rising CO2 emissions not only impact the global climate today, but will do so for hundreds of years because of the gas’s long lifetime in the atmosphere, the WMO says.
Ko Barrett, the WMO deputy secretary general, said: “The heat trapped by CO2 and other greenhouse gases is turbo-charging our climate and leading to more extreme weather. Reducing emissions is therefore essential not just for our climate but also for our economic security and community wellbeing.”
Atmospheric concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide – the second and third most important greenhouse gases related to human activities – also rose to record levels in 2024.
About 40% of methane emissions come from natural sources. But scientists are concerned that global heating is leading to more methane production in wetlands, another potential feedback loop. The rest comes from fossil fuel exploitation; livestock such as cattle; rotting waste in landfills; and rice paddies. Human-caused nitrous oxide emissions include those from overuse of fertiliser by farmers and some industrial processes.
The WMO released its annual greenhouse gas bulletin a month before Cop30, the UN climate change summit in Belém, Brazil, where representatives from the world’s countries will attempt to ramp up climate action. The data comes from a network of 500 monitoring stations around the world.
Explore more on these topics
Here are more “ETs” recorded from around the planet the last couple of days, their consequences, and some extreme temperature outlooks, as well as any extreme precipitation reports:
EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN JAPAN
34C again in this October which is like an August
Records broken today include:
33.9C Moriyama
33.6 Shimoji
31.5 Tishiro
More records on the weekend in this endless summer
(120+ consecutive days breaking records!) — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T08:10:34.942Z
SE ASIA RECORD HEAT
Thailand,Indonesia & Philippines have been breaking records since early 2023 EVERY SINGLE DAY
October records today
THAILAND
36.4 Koh Sichang
35.4 Samut Prakan
High Minimums
MALAYSIA
27.3 Kudat
PHILIPPINES
26.5 Calapan,26.1 Sinait
INDONESIA
25.0 Pangakalanbum — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T10:10:37.657Z
SOUTHERN AFRICA RECORD HEAT
Record heat continues unabated in Southern Africa with scorching temperatures day and night also at high elevations.
Tonight the Minimum at Lethlakane in the BOTSWANA Highlands was 25.6C, its hottest October night on record. — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T17:33:28.735Z
JUAN DE NOVA AGAIN !
34.3C today in this tiny island in the Indian Ocean
NEW OCTOBER RECORD FOR ALL SOUTHERN FRENCH TERRITORIES
Juan de Nova has broken every record of all months of 2023,all rebroken in 2024 and all rebroken again in 2025 multiple times each one.
Just insane. — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T12:35:45.594Z
CARIBBEAN NEVER ENDING RECORD HEAT
Absolute insanity going on in the Carib with records smashed every single day in all the area
Yesterday brutal Minimum of 28.0C
BARBADOS HOTTEST OCTOBER NIGHT IN HISTORY
All 2023/2024 Nino records in the tropics are being pulverized one by one — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T20:05:08.329Z
Exceptional warmth continues in the CARIBBEAN
Another scorching hot and humid night with
MINIMUM temperatures up to
29.0C at Point Salines ,Grenada
28.6C Tobago Airport
It's even worse than last year. — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-16T19:18:52.020Z
#environment As COP30 approaches, we’ve synthesised the latest research on tipping points – both positive and negative – into the Global Tipping Points Report 2025. Risks and Impacts
global-tipping-points.org — Silicon Valley North - Citizens Climate Lobby (@cclsvn.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T13:58:08.067Z
Another great read from @scrawford.bsky.social, with necessary (but politically hard) solutions. “Unless governments at all levels do the extraordinarily difficult work of forcing physical changes that will keep people safer, only despair, foreclosures, and sinking markets are ahead.” — Dr. Jeff Masters (@drjeffmasters.bsky.social) 2025-10-16T01:25:41.595Z
CCL volunteer Polly Merhar shares personal reflections on the impacts of growing wildfires in a new op-ed for the Bemidji Pioneer.
She calls on Minnesota's Senators @klobuchar.senate.gov and @smith.senate.gov to support the #FixOurForests Act. — Citizens' Climate Lobby (@cclusa.org) 2025-10-17T14:02:17.020Z
If you’re joining any community events or demonstrations, bring your ECA t-shirt or hat! You can also print posters from our Activist Toolkit to share the message.
Check out our storefront: www.bonfire.com/store/elders...
And our Activist Toolkit: docs.google.com/document/d/e... — Elders Climate Action (@eldersclimate.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T13:02:41.385Z
Good morning, good news, so far.
Early morning ensembles either turn (soon to be) #Melissa early to the Northeast away from US -or- bury it far south.
So far, so good.
First:: Google AI, next Euro, last GFS — Jeff Berardelli (@weatherprof.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T13:12:10.144Z
Wall of Wind Shear!
Now this is a sight to see. Models coming in HOT on wind shear for the next two weeks. IF this verifies, this is an all out ban on hurricanes for the Gulf! A hurricane blockade, if you will…
1/ — Jeff Berardelli (@weatherprof.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T21:35:51.955Z
Late Season Gulf Hurricanes?
Wait for it.
Here’s a look at ALL late Oct-late Nov hurricanes to grace the Atlantic since 1900.
The Caribbean is a hot spot! But only a small portion reach the Gulf... 1/ — Jeff Berardelli (@weatherprof.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T16:42:00.443Z
Many of today’s model solutions (so far) are evacuating (soon to be #Melissa) earlier from the Caribbean, pushing it NE across the Greater Antilles, that would be great news (esp for FL) if it sticks! The longer it stays, the stronger it gets, for anyone it hits... 1/ — Jeff Berardelli (@weatherprof.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T14:17:07.436Z
"Participants will be able to sell excess power to nearby grids and save about 20% on electricity bills..." Silicon Valley Bets on #Solar Startup
www.mercurynews.com/2025/10/16/s... — Silicon Valley North - Citizens Climate Lobby (@cclsvn.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T14:04:34.289Z
"The deferred initiatives are on top of 44 planned infrastructure projects that SEPTA already had mothballed because of a $3 billion gap ..." Philadelphia Transit System budget woes.
www.inquirer.com/transportati... — Silicon Valley North - Citizens Climate Lobby (@cclsvn.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T14:10:29.125Z
|