The United Nations has issued a warning that greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere hit new record levels in 2023, with countries falling “far short” of the necessary actions to counteract severe global warming.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, the UN’s agency focused on weather and climate, levels of the three primary greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—continued to rise last year.
Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate, with an increase of over 10% in the last two decades, the report noted.
Furthermore, a separate UN climate change report indicated that there has been minimal progress toward achieving the 43% reduction in emissions required by 2030 to prevent the most catastrophic effects of global warming.
The UN cautioned that greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere have reached alarming new highs in 2023.
“The findings of the report are alarming yet not unexpected—current national climate plans are significantly lacking in their ability to prevent global warming from severely impacting economies and harming billions of lives across all nations,” stated UN climate chief Simon Stiell.
These two reports emerge just weeks ahead of the upcoming United Nations COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, with nations preparing to submit updated national climate plans in early 2025.
Mr. Stiell emphasized that “bolder” strategies to reduce the pollution fueling warming must now be developed, advocating for the conclusion of “the era of inadequacy.”
Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries committed to limiting global warming to “well below” two degrees Celsius above the average temperatures recorded between 1850 and 1900, and to aim for a maximum increase of 1.5C if possible.
However, current actions have yet to rise to that challenge.
Global temperatures on land last year were recorded as ‘the highest’ since records began in 1850.
According to Mr. Stiell, existing national commitments would result in the emission of 51.5 billion tonnes of CO2 and equivalent greenhouse gases by 2030, a situation that would “assure a human and economic catastrophe for every nation, without exception.”
As long as emissions persist, greenhouse gases will continue to accumulate, driving up global temperatures, according to the WMO.
Last year, the global temperatures for both land and sea were reported as the highest since records have been kept from 1850.
WMO chief Celeste Saulo noted that the world is “clearly off track” to achieve the Paris Agreement targets, asserting that the record levels of greenhouse gases “should raise alarm bells for decision-makers.”
“CO2 is accumulating in the atmosphere more rapidly than at any point in human history,” the report highlighted, revealing that the current atmospheric CO2 concentration is 51% higher than pre-industrial levels.
The last time the Earth experienced such CO2 levels was three to five million years ago, when temperatures were two to three degrees Celsius warmer and sea levels were 10 to 20 meters higher than they are today.
WMO deputy chief warned that ‘wildfires could release more carbon emissions into the atmosphere.’
Given the long lifespan of CO2 in the atmosphere, current temperature levels are expected to persist for decades, even if emissions are rapidly reduced to net zero.
In 2023, CO2 levels reached 420 parts per million (ppm), while methane was recorded at 1,934 parts per billion, and nitrous oxide at 336 parts per billion.
CO2 contributes to about 64% of the warming effect on our climate.
Its annual increase of 2.3 ppm marks the 12th consecutive year of an increase exceeding two ppm, a trend attributed to “historically large fossil fuel CO2 emissions during the 2010s and 2020s.”
Nearly half of CO2 emissions remain in the atmosphere, while the rest is absorbed by ocean and terrestrial ecosystems.
WMO deputy chief Ko Barret cautioned that climate change could soon lead ecosystems to become larger sources of greenhouse gases.
“Wildfires could emit greater carbon emissions into the atmosphere, while warmer oceans may absorb less CO2. This could leave more CO2 in the atmosphere, accelerating global warming.”
“These feedback loops related to climate are critical concerns for human society.”
