High greenhouse gas concentration: "We have to rethink our entire way of life"

The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached new highs in 2020.

The increase compared to the previous year was even higher than the average increase in the past ten years, according to a report published on Monday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) a few days before the start of the UN climate conference COP26 in Scotland.

In view of this development, the achievement of the climate protection goals of the Paris Agreement is seriously jeopardized.

According to the report, the corona crisis does not result in a significant reduction in emissions.

The economic downturn caused by the pandemic temporarily reduced new emissions, but had "no discernible impact" on the amount and increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Only the new CO2 emissions have decreased, by 5.6 percent in Corona year 2020. “As long as there are emissions, the global temperature will continue to rise,” the organization announced.

The CO2 produced can remain in the atmosphere for centuries.

It arises from the burning of coal, oil and gas, cement production and other industrial processes, as well as from forest destruction.

"At the current rate of increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, the temperature increase at the end of the century will be well above the pre-industrial level set in the Paris Agreement of 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius," said WMO General Secretary Petteri Taalas.

"We are still a long way from the goal."

Rethink industry, energy and transport

"Many countries are now setting themselves targets for carbon neutrality, and it is to be hoped that the commitments at COP26 will increase dramatically," said Taalas, referring to the world climate conference beginning on Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland.

"We have to rethink industry, the energy sector, transport and our entire way of life."

At the COP26 negotiations will be held to tighten the previous international climate protection plans.

In 2015, more than 190 states agreed in the Paris Agreement to work to limit global warming by 1.5 degrees and a maximum of two degrees.

According to the UN, however, the measures announced so far are not sufficient.

The Glasgow conference is now seen as critical to setting international emissions targets to slow global warming.

"The necessary changes are economically affordable and technically feasible," said Taalas.

"We have no time to lose.".

More emissions from fossil fuels

The most important greenhouse gas released by human activity is CO2.

It is mainly created by burning fossil fuels and during the production of concrete.

In addition, the emission of methane and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) noticeably increases the surface temperature. 60 percent of methane emissions are due to human activity and, in particular, to agriculture. Laughing gas is released, for example, when using artificial fertilizers.

The new high for the greenhouse gas was 413.2 ppm (parts per million particles). That corresponds to 149 percent of the pre-industrial level. In the previous year it was 410.7 ppm. The WMO adjusted this value after new analyzes from the original 410.5 ppm. The WMO dates the beginning of industrialization for these calculations to 1750. The 400 ppm mark was not broken until 2015. According to the WMO, CO2 is responsible for around 66 percent of the warming effect. All greenhouse gases together have already led to an average global warming of 1.1 degrees, in Germany it is 1.6 degrees. In order to achieve the 1.5 degree target, the world would have to become climate neutral around 2050 to 2070.

The WMO already has CO2 measurements from this year that do not bode well: at the Mauna Loa station in Hawaii in the USA, the concentration in July of this year was 416.96 ppm, after 414.62 ppm last year.

The WMO always forms an average value for the annual level from the measurements of several stations.

The past time that the earth experienced CO2 concentrations as it does today was three to five million years ago.

At that time the temperature was two to three degrees higher and the sea level was 10 to 20 meters higher.

Researchers can draw conclusions about the condition so long ago by drilling ice into ancient air bubbles and analyzing fossils.

The WMO points out that ecosystems that previously absorbed CO2 have already become sources of additional CO2 emissions.

That is the case in parts of the Amazon.

Large forest fires and the clearing of forests are triggers.