Australia bushfires contribute to big rise in global CO2 levels - UK's Met Office

FILE PHOTO: The sun struggles through the clouds as high winds push smoke and ash from the Currowan Fire towards Nowra, New South Wales, Australia January 4, 2020. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy

LONDON (Reuters) - Australia's bushfires are contributing to one of the biggest annual increases in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere since record-keeping began more than 60 years ago, according to a forecast published by Britain's Met Office on Friday.

While human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for the bulk of the increase in CO2 levels, Australia's bushfires have made the problem measurably worse, underscoring the impact of the catastrophe on the global climate system.