Greenhouse gases hit record

2009-11-23 21:09

Geneva - Greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere reached record highs in 2008, with carbon dioxide levels increasing faster than previously, the UN weather agency said on Friday.

Levels of greenhouse gases, believed to be responsible for global warming, have been rising every year since detailed records started being kept in 1998, the World Meteorological Organisation said.

It follows a trend of rising emissions that began with the Industrial Revolution in the mid-18th century, the agency said.

The report by the World Meteorological Organisation comes as the European Union urged the US and China on Monday to set targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions at next month's climate conference in Copenhagen.

The organisation said delays by those countries were hindering global efforts to curb climate change.

Concentration of gases rising

The gases - carbon dioxide, or CO2; nitrous oxide, N2O; and methane, CH4 - are produced partly by natural sources, such as wetlands, and partly by human activities such as fertilizer use or fuel combustion.

"Concentration of greenhouse gases continued to increase, even a bit faster," the organisation's chief, Michel Jarraud, told reporters in Geneva.

Carbon dioxide - the main greenhouse gas in the atmosphere - was 385.2 parts per million in 2008, up two parts per million from 2007, the WMO said.

The CO2 content in the atmosphere rose slightly faster in 2008 than over the last decade when the growth rate was 1.9 parts per million, Jarraud said.

"It's significant because what we would like is to see a decrease in the increase," he said.

Nitrous oxide increased by 0.9 parts per billion over the previous year to 321.8 parts per billion.

Methane concentration in the atmosphere was 1.797 parts per billion, up seven parts per billion from the previous year.

Disasters predicted for 2100

The year-to-year increase may appear small. But compared to the time before the Industrial Revolution, the levels have increased massively, the WMO said.

Since 1750, CO2 has increased 38%, nitrous oxide 19% and methane 157%, according to the WMO.

The agency's annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin provides widely accepted worldwide data on the amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

It takes time to see the impact of greenhouse gas emissions because of the long time they remain in the atmosphere, said Oksana Tarasova, a specialist with the organisation.
"Even if we stop all the emissions right now, after 100 years, 30% of the amount added to preindustrial level will remain in the atmosphere," she told reporters.

Jarraud said if emissions continue to grow, the world is likely to face the more pessimistic scenarios laid out by climate experts.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said if nothing is done to stop emissions, global temperatures could rise as much as 6 degrees Celsius (11 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100, triggering droughts, floods and other disasters.
 

- AP