Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels Are Rising Faster Than Ever

Current conditions: Parts of North Dakota could feel wind chills of minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the coming days • A fire at the world’s largest battery storage plant prompted evacuations and health warnings in California’s Monterey County • It is warm and sunny in Doha, where negotiators signed a ceasfire deal between Israel and Hamas.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Atmospheric CO2 levels are rising faster than ever

Data from one of the longest-running and most reputable carbon dioxide observatories in the world suggests that atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas increased at a record rate in 2024. The Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii has been tracking atmospheric CO2 since 1958, and is “a good guide to rise in global average CO2 concentration,” according to the UK’s Met Office. Mauna Loa’s measurements show that between 2023 and 2024, CO2 concentrations rose by about 3.6 parts per million, the largest annual increase on record, meaning that not only are CO2 emissions still rising, but they’re rising faster than ever. This growth is not compatible with any pathways to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Annual CO2 concentrations and forecasts in PPM. The Keeling Curve and Met Office

Long-term CO2 concentrations dating back 2,000 years.The Keeling Curve and Met Office

“The actual CO2 rise of 3.58ppm was even faster than expected,” a group of climate researchers from the Met Office wrote for Carbon Brief. They speculate that the loss of natural carbon sinks – especially through wildfires and their resulting emissions – may explain the leap. Last year was the warmest on record, and the first calendar year to see temperatures rise above the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold. It was also a record year for wildfires in the Americas.

2. DOE finalizes $6.57 billion Rivian loan

The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office yesterday closed on a $6.57 billion loan to Rivian, less than two months after announcing the conditional loan. The money will help finance Project Horizon, a 9 million square foot EV manufacturing plant in Georgia, where Rivian plans to make some 400,000 mass market EVs per year, starting with its R2 and R3 models. It will support 2,000 full-time construction jobs and 7,500 operations jobs through 2030. “At full capacity, the EVs manufactured at the facility are expected to yield an annual fuel consumption savings of approximately 146 million gallons of petroleum,” the DOE said. The administration also closed a $1.66 billion loan for New York-based Plug Power to build six hydrogen plants. The LPO will likely come under scrutiny by the incoming Trump administration. In more Rivian news, Volkswagen is reportedly exploring ways to “deepen” its existing partnership with the carmaker.

3. Biden administration offers $23 billion in loans to help clean up power utilities

The Department of Energy was busy yesterday. On top of the aforementioned financing deals, the LPO also offered $22.92 billion in conditional loans to eight electric utilities to help them make upgrades to boost clean power generation, storage, and transmission, as well as replacing leaky gas lines. The projects span 12 states and would serve nearly 15 million customers. The New York Times noted that this is “one of the biggest commitments ever made” by the LPO. With just three days left before Trump takes office, the loans still need to be finalized. But DOE sources told the Times that the loans are legally binding and difficult to revoke.

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4. Takeaways from Zeldin and Burgum confirmation hearings

Confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s energy and environment appointees continued yesterday, with Lee Zeldin and Doug Burgum appearing before the Senate for their nominations as Environmental Protection Agency administrator and secretary of the Interior. For many in the renewables space, Burgum’s hearing offered little in the way of reassurances. He referenced concerns about the “baseload” of the grid more than 15 times during the hearing, primarily as a way to oppose the buildout of renewable energy. Burgum also touted “clean coal” (not so clean) as a pathway to decarbonizing, defended Trump’s skepticism of wind power, and dodged questions seeking reassurance about his commitment to protecting federal lands. EPA nominee Zeldin, meanwhile, said he believes climate change is real and conceded that carbon dioxide traps heat, but defended Trump’s denialism on the issue. He said he wants to make the EPA more efficient and transparent, and indicated that industry perspectives on environmental rules and enforcement actions will likely receive a kinder ear from the agency under his leadership.

5. Google goes big on biochar

In case you missed it: Google gave biochar a boost yesterday when it announced it will buy 200,000 tons of carbon removal credits by 2030 from two firms, Indian company Varaha and startup Charm Industrial. As Heatmap’s Katie Brigham has reported, biochar is made by heating up biomass such as wood or plants in a low-oxygen environment via a process called pyrolysis, thereby sequestering up to 40% to 50% of the carbon contained within that organic matter for hundreds or even thousands of years. Varaha will generate biochar from an invasive plant; Charm will use biomass from forest management. Biochar is a “cheap, nature-based method” of carbon removal, Brigham says, and it’s been getting attention from corporate buyers. The Google partnerships are “the largest biochar carbon removal deals to date,” and aim to help the nascent industry scale.

THE KICKER

“This isn’t a fiscal blip.”

–Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, former chair of the Senate Budget Committee, warns of an “accelerated collapse” in insurance markets due to climate disasters.