Alaska sees its hottest July in 125 years. (Photo: Getty Image)

An annual assessment of the Earth’s climate by the Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization (WMO) underscored the stakes at two weeks of talks aimed at shoring up the 2015 Paris Agreement to avert catastrophic global warming.

The report said the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere hit a record level last year and continued to rise in 2019.

A drumbeat of dire reports from climate science in the past year has fueled environmental activism, prompted some companies to commit to slashing emissions and raised concerns among investors about the stability of asset prices.