2020 meant significantly fewer air travel, a reduction in the number of transports and a halt in production for many industries, which led to a period of reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

But it has not helped to slow down climate change - carbon dioxide emissions are now rising rapidly again after the temporary downturn, according to a recent summary report from the World Meteorological Organization, WMO.

Concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere remain at record highs, according to the report released on Thursday morning.

- Throughout the pandemic, we have heard that we must adjust and avoid the worst effects of climate change on society and the economy.

This report shows that so far in 2021 we have not gone in the right direction, says WMO's Secretary General Petteri Taalas in a statement.

Far to the goals

The consequences of climate change are increasingly visible, and extreme heat, drought and floods will become more common, according to the report.

The conclusion is that there is still a long way to go to achieve the goals set in the Paris Agreement concluded in 2015, and the report points out that emissions of fossil fuels have increased this year, as has the concentration of greenhouse gases.

The global average temperature has been among the highest ever measured over the past five years, and the report also states that this year we have seen a number of extreme weather events, and that these will become more common in the future and affect people, societies and the economy negatively.

"If there are no immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, it will be impossible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, which will have catastrophic consequences for humans and the planet on which we depend," the UN said. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement.

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Climate systems such as forests, seas and large areas of land have done us a favor by absorbing coal.

But several of the climate systems can now instead become our enemies.

Photo: SVT, Archive pictures

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