A new UN report has found that heat-trapping greenhouse gases reached a new record last year, putting the world extremely off track for its climate goals.
The report, published by the UN weather agency The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Greenhouse Gas Bulletin painted a grim picture of the reality of climate change. The report says the world is on course for catastrophic climate change.
The report comes in the run-up to the UN climate conference, or COP26, which is to take place in Glasgow starting on November 1.
The head of the agency, Petteri Taalas, said that the rate of increase in greenhouse gas concentrations means that the world will see a huge temperature increase by the end of this century that is far higher than what was agreed upon as the target temperature agreed upon within the Paris Climate Goals.
Carbon dioxide reached a 3 million-year high, with the concentration of carbon dioxide in 2020 reaching a whopping 149 percent higher than pre-industrial levels. The last time the world experienced a comparable concentration was somewhere between three to five million years ago, however, there weren’t 7.8 billion people there who needed to survive it.
Other gases were also at record highs. Methane was 262 percent higher, and nitrous oxide was 123 percent higher. These numbers are compared to before human activity became such a destabilizing factor.
Rising emissions means rising global temperatures, the report reminded. Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, and stays in the ocean for even longer.
Experts say that there was a small window of opportunity to stabilize emissions and greenhouse gas concentrations, but the world has completely failed.
As COP26 edges closer, the world is watching as international leaders come to gather to unite in the fight against climate change, and commit to it.
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