UN: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS HIT NEW RECORD LEVELS

LEVELS of planet-warming greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached record highs again last year, UN scientists warned ahead of key climate talks.

Concentrations of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases rose at a faster rate in 2020 than over the previous decade, and the trend has continued in 2021, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said. The pandemic-induced economic slowdown did not have any discernible impact on levels of greenhouse gases and the rate they are building up - although there was a temporary decline in new emissions, the WMO said. If gas concentrations continue to increase at current rates, the world will see temperature rises far above globally agreed long-term targets to limit warming to 1.5C.

WMO secretary general Professor Petteri Taalas said the latest information on greenhouse gases contained a stark, scientific message for climate negotiators at the COP26 talks, adding: “We are way off track.”