UN Sounds Alarm as Greenhouse Gas Concentrations Reach New Highs

Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere soared to unprecedented levels in 2022, and the United Nations has issued a stark warning that this worrisome trend shows no signs of slowing down.

Breaking Records

According to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the three primary greenhouse gases responsible for climate warming—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—all reached record-breaking levels last year. This alarming development, highlighted in the WMO’s 19th annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, is expected to lead to more extreme temperatures, increasingly severe weather events, and rising sea levels.

A Troubling Reality

Despite decades of scientific warnings, extensive reports, and numerous climate conferences, the world appears to be moving in the wrong direction, as expressed by WMO chief Petteri Taalas.

COP28 Climate Summit Looms

The release of the Greenhouse Gas Bulletin is particularly timely, as it precedes the COP28 UN climate summit scheduled from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai. This summit holds significant importance as it follows the 2015 Paris Agreement, where countries committed to limiting global warming to “well below” two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with an even more ambitious goal of restricting it to 1.5 degrees Celsius if possible.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2023

Category: Environment Current Affairs • Reports & Indexes Current Affairs