The amount of global warming-causing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rose to a new high in 2010, and the rate of increase has accelerated, the UN weather agency said on Monday.
Levels of carbon dioxide -- a greenhouse gas and major contributor to climate change -- rose by 2.3 parts per million between 2009 and 2010, higher than the average for the past decade of 2.0 parts per million, a new report by the World Meteorological Organisation found.
"The atmospheric burden of greenhouse gases due to human activities has yet again reached record levels since pre-industrial time," said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.
Greenhouse gases trap radiation within the earth's atmosphere, causing it to warm.
Scientists attributed the rise in carbon dioxide, which contributes about 64% to climate warming, to fossil fuel burning, deforestation and changes in land-use.