2023 marked an alarming milestone in the fight against climate change: there was a record of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). New historical highs were reached.
Two new reports published on Monday demonstrated very worrying trends for the planet and living beings.
This increase highlights the urgency of taking effective measures to mitigate its effects and protect our planet.
Record emissions: the latest numbers from the UN
The new data published by the UN on Monday indicated that greenhouse gases reached a record figure once again, adding to the records that have been recorded for years, consecutively.
Concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen oxides exceeded the highest levels ever recorded.
This increase is due to a combination of factors, including the continued dependence on fossil fuels, deforestation, and unsustainable agricultural practices.
“Urgent measures”
This news once again demonstrates the need for urgent measures and not just words from the world’s major polluters to protect us all from climate change, warned the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), author of the other disseminated report.
The call comes at a time when world leaders are preparing to gather next month in Baku for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29).
Amid repeated warnings from the United Nations Secretary-General and other UN agencies about the human cost of ignoring this existential crisis.
Meanwhile, WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett told the press that carbon dioxide is currently accumulating in the atmosphere “more rapidly than at any other time in human existence”.
This is due to the extremely long life of CO2 in the atmosphere: “we are facing a temperature increase for many, many years”.
Asked about expectations for whether the conference will be able to generate tangible commitments from countries, the WMO official remained optimistic. “I think they are listening, the question is to what extent we will see this manifested at COP29,” she said about world leaders.
The proposed measures, “well below” what is needed
Another important report published this week points out that the measures proposed by countries to mitigate the effects of climate change “fall well below what is needed”.
This is the Synthesis Report of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) for 2024 from the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC).
It showed that current plans would result in emissions of 51.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, only 2.6% below 2019 levels.