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UN “bell”: Dramatic increase in greenhouse gases – “We have gone far”

The concentration of gases that cause it greenhouse effect crashed new record in 2020, announced today its meteorological service UN, warning that the world is far from achieving the goals of reducing rising temperatures.

According to his report World Meteorological Organization, carbon dioxide levels reached 413.2 parts per million in 2020, more than the average rate of the last decade, despite a temporary reduction in emissions during lockdown due to COVID-19.

The Secretary-General of the Office, Peteri Taalas, stated that the current rate of increase of gases trapping heat will result in increase in temperature “far above” the target of the Paris Agreement in 2015 to increase 1.5 degrees Celsius this century compared to the average of the pre-industrial era.

UN “bell”: The worrying findings of the annual report of the meteorological service

“We have escaped far,” he said. “We need to review our industrial, energy and transport systems and lifestyles,” he said, calling for a “dramatic increase” in commitments at the COP26 conference starting on October 31st, according to the APE-MPE. Representatives from nearly 200 countries will meet in Glasgow, Scotland to step up action on tackling global warming under the Paris Agreement.

The annual report of the UN Office in Geneva measures the concentration of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere, the gases that (overheat) the planet and cause extreme weather events such as heat waves and heavy rain. The report confirms, as expected, the economic slowdown due to COVID-19 “Did not have any noticeable effect on greenhouse gas levels and growth rates”.

The report adds that initial analyzes show that levels of carbon dioxide, the gas that contributes most to overheating, continued to rise in 2021. Even if there is now a large reduction in emissions, climate scientists say the overheating trend will remain intact as older carbon dioxide emissions remain in the atmosphere for decades.

The WMO report also raises concerns about the ability of oceans and land to absorb about half of their carbon dioxide emissions, saying ocean absorption could be reduced by higher sea surface temperatures and other factors. These sinks act as barriers and prevent more dramatic temperature rises.

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