Greenhouse gas in the atmosphere reaches a new record
With more than 405ppm in 2017, the global CO2 level has reached an all-time high in millions of years.
The World Meteorological Organization is sounding the alarm because this ever-increasing trend favors climate change and rising water levels.
But CO2 is not the only one to see its concentration increase: it is also the case of methane, the majority of emissions from human activities, and nitrous oxide.
One-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions are absorbed by the ocean and another quarter by the biosphere. But the rest remains in the atmosphere and accumulates over the years. This is why it is necessary to rapidly and significantly reduce these emissions.
“The science is clear. Without rapid cuts in CO2 and other greenhouse gases, climate change will have increasingly destructive and irreversible impacts on life on Earth. The window of opportunity for action is almost closed,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.
