Greenhouse gases are rising at a faster rate than they have since 1984, new figures released this week reveal. In light of this news, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), based in Geneva, is calling for a global treaty on climate control.
The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin released by the WMO this year measures the amount of greenhouse gases left in the environment after the emissions are absorbed by land, air and ocean.
The WMO's report estimated that there were 396 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere last year in 2013, a sharp increase of about 3 ppm from 2012. This is the highest growth in concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide since 1984.
"The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin shows that, far from falling, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere actually increased last year at the fastest rate for nearly 30 years," said Michel Jarraud, an official at the WMO.
He called for a voluntary global agreement to drastically cut carbon dioxide gas emissions, adding, "We are running out of time."
The U.N. is also drafting a proposal urging government officials worldwide to slash their countries' carbon dioxide emissions. The WMO report estimates that carbon dioxide levels are now around 142 percent higher than pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
The line between carbon dioxide and global warming can be confusing, because there is not a clear correlation between more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and higher temperatures on land. Some scientists posited a "pause" in global warming; however, the temperatures have definitely been getting warmer and there are more extreme weather events now than in recent years.
One reason the atmosphere may not be fully reflecting the carbon dioxide emissions is because some of the temperature is being absorbed by the oceans. The treaty that the WMO is proposing may place more emphasis on oceans.
"The climate system is not linear, it is not straightforward. It is not necessarily reflected in the temperature in the atmosphere, but if you look at the temperature profile in the ocean, the heat is going in the oceans," said Oksana Tarasova, who works at the WMO. The ocean isn't necessarily a buffer to warming, however. Ocean acidification, a consequence of this absorption, has long-term effects. The WMO reports that the rate of acidification is higher than it's been over the last 300 million years.
The WMO also thinks that the increased carbon dioxide concentration last year was caused by a reduced ability of Earth's environment to absorb as much carbon dioxide as it has in the past. Tarasova called this cause for worry and speculated that the biosphere might be at capacity for carbon dioxide absorption. The WMO will look into this possibility more in the future.
However, for now, the WMO says that the answer is clear: we need to cut carbon dioxide emissions now, immediately, before it is too late. Sound familiar?
