The U.N. weather agency warned that carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere increased at record-breaking speed last year. World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said rapid cuts to CO₂ (carbon dioxide) and other greenhouse gases are needed to avoid "dangerous temperature increases" by 2100 that would far surpass targets set in the Paris climate accord. Scientists say greenhouse gases are fueling climate change, and the impact is already being felt around the globe.

"We are actually moving in the wrong direction,"

The latest WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, released Monday, said a strong El Niño event and human activity contributed to the increase of CO₂ concentrations to 403.3 parts per million last year, up from 400 in 2015. The report notes that temperatures in strong El Niño years are typically warmer than average "and 2016's temperatures are consistent with that pattern." BBC News reports El Niño also impacts the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by causing droughts that cut the ability of plants and trees to absorb CO₂. Because of air bubbles preserved in ice in places like Greenland and Antarctica, researchers have reliable measurements of CO₂ concentrations going back 800,000 years. Using those measurements, the bulletin said that the last time CO2 concentrations were at similar levels was three to five million years ago, when the sea level was 66 feet higher than today.

WMO says the report breaks ground by showing the "global picture" on carbon levels. It hopes that will contribute to debate at a major climate conference in Bonn, Germany, starting next week.A non-partisan federal watchdog says climate change is already costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars each year, with those costs expected to rise as devastating storms, floods, wildfires and droughts become more frequent in the coming decades.

A Government Accountability Office report released Monday said the federal government has spent more than $350 billion over the last decade on disaster assistance programs and losses from flood and crop insurance. That tally does not include the massive toll from this year's wildfires and three major hurricanes, expected to be among the most costly in the nation's history. The report predicts these costs will only grow in the future, potentially reaching a budget busting $35 billion a year by 2050. The report says the federal government doesn't effectively plan for these recurring costs, classifying the financial exposure from climate-related costs as "high risk."

"This nonpartisan GAO report Senator Cantwell and I requested contains astonishing numbers about the consequences of climate change for our economy and for the federal budget in particular," said Collins. "In Maine, our economy is inextricably linked to the environment. We are experiencing a real change in the sea life, which has serious implications for the livelihoods of many people across our state, including those who work in our iconic lobster industry."

The report's authors reviewed 30 government and academic studies examining the national and regional impacts of climate change. They also interviewed 28 experts familiar with the strengths and limitations of the studies, which rely on future projections of climate impacts to estimate likely costs. The report says the fiscal impacts of climate change are likely to vary widely by region. The Southeast is at increased risk because of coastal property that could be swamped by storm surge and sea level rise. The Northeast is also under threat from storm surge and sea level rise, though not as much as the Southeast.

The Midwest and Great Plains are susceptible to decreased crop yields, the report said. The West is expected to see increased drought, wildfires and deadly heatwaves. Advance copies were provided to the White House and the Environmental Protection Agency, which provided no official comments for inclusion in the GAO report. Requests for comment from The Associated Press also received no response on Monday.

Scientist has called climate change a hoax, announcing his intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accords and revoke Obama-era initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Trump has also appointed officials such as EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, all of whom question the scientific consensus that carbon released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of global warming.

They have credited the fossil fuel industry with "vastly improved living conditions across the world" and likened the work of mainstream climate scientists to "the dogmatic claims of ideologues and clerics."