Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are rising at a record rate as fossil fuel consumption increases and the ability of the oceans to absorb the greenhouse gas diminishes, the World Meteorological Organisation said.

Average levels of C02 in the atmosphere rose almost 3 parts per million to 396 in 2013, accelerating from the 2.2 ppm increase in the previous year, the UN body said, citing data from 125 monitoring sites worldwide.

The warming of the ocean surface reduces its ability to take up more CO2, says Professor Katrin Meissner of the University of NSW. Credit:Getty Images

"The changes we're seeing are really drastic," Oksana Tarasova, a scientist and chief of the WMO's Global Atmospheric Watch program told The Washington Post. "We are seeing the growth rate rising exponentially."

Atmosphere levels of C02 are now 42 per cent higher than they were in 1750, before the industrial revolution and the subsequent surge in consumption of oil, coal and gas, and increased land-clearing for agriculture and other human activities.