Greenhouse gas levels reached a new record in 2023, leading the planet to an increase in temperatures for many years, warns the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere at a pace never seen in the history of humanityand has increased more than 10% in just two decades. Over the course of 2023, CO2 emissions from large vegetation fires and a possible reduction in carbon uptake by forests, combined with persistently high CO2 emissions from fossil fuels from human and industrial activities , will drive the increase, according to the WMO Annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.
In 2023, the global average surface concentration of CO2 reached 420.0 parts per million (ppm), methane 1,934 parts per billion, and nitrous oxide 336.9 parts per billion (ppb). These values represent 151%, 265% and 125% of pre-industrial levels (before 1750), as indicated. These values are calculated based on long-term observations within the Global Atmosphere Watch network of monitoring stations.
«Another year. Another record. This should raise alarm bells among decision makers. We are clearly far from meeting the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and aiming for a 1.5°C rise above pre-industrial levels. These are more than just statistics. Every part per million and every fraction of a degree of temperature increase has a real impact on our lives and our planet,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a statement.
The increase in CO2 in the atmosphere in 2023 was greater than that of 2022, although less than that of the previous three years. The 2.3 ppm annual increase marked the 12th consecutive year with an increase greater than 2 ppm. The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin is one of WMO’s flagship publications published to inform the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP, and is now in its 20th issue. During that time, the CO2 level has increased by 11.4% (42.9 ppm) above the level of 377.1 ppm recorded in 2004 by the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch network of monitoring stations.
The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reports on greenhouse gas concentrations, rather than emissions levels. Analysis of the data shows that just under half of CO2 emissions remain in the atmosphere. A little more than a quarter is absorbed by the ocean and just under 30% by terrestrial ecosystems, although there is considerable variability from year to year due to natural phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña.
During El Niño years, greenhouse gas levels tend to increase because drier vegetation and forest fires reduce the efficiency of terrestrial carbon sinks.
As long as emissions continue, greenhouse gases will continue to accumulate in the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to rise. Given the extremely long life of CO2 in the atmosphere, the temperature level already observed will persist for several decades even if emissions are rapidly reduced to net zero.
The last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was between 3 and 5 million years agowhen the temperature was 2 to 3 °C warmer and sea level was 10 to 20 meters higher than now.
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