Greenhouse gas concentrations reach new records

Methane and Nitrous Oxide 

According to an analysis published this Wednesday (15), in Geneva, methane concentrations also increased by 264% to 1.923 parts per billion.

Following the same trend, levels of nitrous oxide, the third main gas that contributes to global warming, registered 336 parts per billion, the new annual peak after 2021 and 2022.

The Greenhouse Effect Bulletin will serve as a basis during the negotiations of the 28th Climate Summit, COP28, to be held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

WMO Secretary General, Petteri Taalas, recalled that the current record levels of heat-trapping gases will lead to a further rise in temperatures.

Fossil fuel consumption

The expert declared that the world is heading towards rising temperatures well above the Paris Agreement targets by the end of the century. 

What is the Paris Agreement? And why is it so important?

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty that has one main objective: to reduce global warming. In practice, it seeks to prevent a 2ºC increase in global temperature in relation to the pre-industrial era, encouraging the creation of mechanisms to reduce the impact of climate change and the replacement of sources that emit greenhouse gases. O Curto explains more about one of the most important climate commitments in existence, quick game. 🤓

The situation will be marked by increasingly extreme weather conditions, including intense heat and rain, melting ice, rising sea levels and ocean acidification. 

The WMO warns that the situation will increase socioeconomic and environmental costs while calling for urgency in reducing the consumption of fossil fuels. The agency highlighted that carbon funds are dwindling rapidly.

The study explains that just under half of CO2 emissions remain in the atmosphere. Over a quarter of this total is absorbed by the ocean and just under 30% by terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests.

Increase in global temperature

As emissions continue, carbon dioxide will continue to accumulate in the atmosphere, leading to a rise in global temperatures. 

With the long life of CO2, high temperatures will persist for several decades even if emissions are rapidly reduced to zero.

The last time Earth recorded a CO2 concentration comparable to the current level was between 3 and 5 million years ago. At that time, the temperature was between 2 and 3°C warmer and the sea level was 10 to 20 meters higher than today.

(With UN News)

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