Clipart Korea
South Korea’s carbon dioxide concentration hit another record high last year, as greenhouse gases, the main culprit behind global warming, continue to rise steadily worldwide.
According to the “2025 Global Atmosphere Watch Report” released Monday by the National Institute of Meteorological Sciences under the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), background concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and sulfur hexafluoride all hit record highs last year.
Background concentration refers to levels measured in a homogeneously mixed atmospheric state. Korea has been measuring background concentrations at sites including Anmyeon Island, Jeju Gosan, and Ulleung Island.
Korea’s CO2 background concentration reached 432.7 parts per million (ppm) last year, up 3.2 ppm from 429.5 ppm a year earlier. The figure was also 7.1 ppm higher than the global average of 425.6 ppm.
Korea’s CO2 background concentration has been rising at an annual rate of 2.5 ppm since 2000 and 2.6 ppm over the past decade. The global average growth rate has also been 2.3 ppm annually since 2000 and 2.6 ppm over the past 10 years. If the current pace continues, Korea’s CO2 concentration could reach approximately 499 ppm by 2050. Carbon dioxide is known to remain in the atmosphere for up to 200 years once emitted.
However, the growth rate of methane, which has a warming effect 80 times stronger than CO2, has slowed somewhat. Korea’s methane background concentration reached 2,023 parts per billion (ppb) last year, up 2 ppb from a year earlier, a slower pace than the average annual increase of 10 ppb over the past decade. This trend was consistently confirmed in both the global average and satellite observations.
Methane has the shortest lifespan among major greenhouse gases at 11 to 12 years. While the recent slowdown may reflect policy effects, academic circles are still researching the precise cause.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are both greenhouse gases and stratospheric ozone-depleting substances, have shown a continuous decline, unlike other greenhouse gases. This is seen as reflecting the effects of phased global regulations following the 1989 Montreal Protocol.
The KMA has been releasing major observation results through the annual Global Atmosphere Watch Report since 2001. Starting this year, the publication date has been moved up to April each year. Details can be found on the KMA’s Climate Information Portal.
“As the multi-dimensional status of Korea’s greenhouse gases is being scientifically confirmed, we will strongly support climate crisis response policies by providing swift and accurate global atmosphere watch information,” said Kang Hyun-seok, director of the National Institute of Meteorological Sciences. “We will further strengthen our capacity to analyze the origins of substances causing climate change.”