WMO: There is a new record in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere reached a new record last year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Monday, days before the CP26 climate conference.

“The abundance of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere again reached a new record last year, and the annual rate of increase recorded was higher than the 2011-2020 average.”, according to the WMO bulletin.

According to this UN agency, the economic slowdown caused by the COVID “had no obvious effect on the atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases or their rates of increase, although there was a temporary decrease in new emissions. ”.

The WMO indicated that emissions do not stop, “the world temperature will continue to rise.” Since carbon dioxide (CO2) is a long-lived gas, “the currently observed temperature level will persist for several decades even though emissions are rapidly reduced to net zero ”added.

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“The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin sends a strong scientific message to negotiators on climate change,” said WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas, quoted in the statement.

“If the current rate of increase in greenhouse gas concentrations is maintained, the increase in temperature at the end of this century will far exceed the goal established under the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5 o 2 ° C above pre-industrial levels, ”he added.

Millions of years ago

The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most abundant of the greenhouse gases, reached 413.2 parts per million (ppm) in 2020 and stands at 149% of pre-industrial levels.

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The bulletin specifies that about half of the CO2 emitted by human activities remains in the atmosphere, while the other half is absorbed by oceans and terrestrial ecosystems.

“The last time a comparable CO2 concentration was recorded on Earth was between three and five million years ago. At that time the temperature was 2 to 3 ° C warmer, and the sea level, between 10 and 20 meters higher than today, but then there were not 7.8 billion people on the planet ”, explained Taalas.

As for methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), their concentrations were equivalent, respectively, to 262% and 123% of the levels of 1750, the year chosen to represent the moment in which human activity began to alter the natural balance of the Earth.

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About 40% of methane is emitted from natural sources (eg wetlands), while about 60% comes from human activities such as ruminant farming and rice cultivation.

“We must transform our industrial, energy and transportation systems and our entire way of life. The changes required are affordable and technically feasible. There is no time to lose, ”said Taalas. (I)