The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) published data Monday showing that the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere hit a new record in 2010 and that the growth of the buildup is accelerating.

The WMO — an arm of the United Nations — issued its latest report on concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases.

“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 in a statement.

He warns: “Even if we managed to halt our greenhouse gas emissions today — and this is far from the case — they would continue to linger in the atmosphere for decades to come and so continue to affect the delicate balance of our living planet and our climate.”

The data arrives ahead of the next big round of U.N. climate talks, set to begin in South Africa on Nov. 28.

The WMO reports that levels of carbon dioxide have reached 389 parts per million, a 39 percent increase since the beginning of the industrial era in 1750.

“This is primarily because of emissions from combustion of fossil fuels, deforestation and changes in land-use,” the WMO bulletin states.

The increase between 2009 and 2010 was above the average for the last two decades. “Between 2009 and 2010, its atmospheric abundance increased by 2.3 parts per million — higher than the average for both the 1990s (1.5 parts per million) and the past decade (2.0 parts per million),” the WMO states.

The report tracks several other gases, including methane, a potent greenhouse gas that’s again on the rise after a temporary period of “relative stabilization” between 1999 and 2006.

“Scientists are conducting research into the reasons for this, including the potential role of the thawing of the methane-rich Northern permafrost and increased emissions from tropical wetlands,” the WMO notes.

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