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Fall in carbon emissions linked to COVID-19 won’t halt climate change, says UN weather agency chief
An expected drop in greenhouse gas emissions linked to the global economic crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic is only “short-term good news”, the head of the UN weather agency said on Wednesday.
“This drop of emissions of six per cent, that’s unfortunately (only) short-term good news,” said Professor Petteri Taalas, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General, a likely reference to a temporary 5.5 to 5.7 per cent fall in levels of carbon dioxide that has been flagged by leading climate scientists including the Center for International Climate Research.
He added: “In the most likely case we would easily go back to the normal (emission levels) next year and there might even be a boost in emissions because some of the industries have been stopped, and so forth.”
Latest data from WMO published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on 22 April indicates thatcarbon dioxide (CO2) levels and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rose to new records last year.
Levels of carbon dioxide were 18 per cent higher from 2015 to 2019 than the previous five years, according to WMO’s Global Climate 2015-2019 report.
The gas “remains in the atmosphere and oceans for centuries. This means that the world is committed to continued climate change regardless of any temporary fall in emissions due to the Coronavirus epidemic,” the report states, with data indicating that CO2 concentrations are on track “to reach or even exceed 410 ppm by the end of 2019”.
The forecasted fall in carbon emissions is mirrored by decreases in levels of common air pollutants from car exhausts and fossil fuel energy, such as nitrous oxide (N2O) particles.
“Their lifetime is typically from days to weeks, so the impact is seen more rapidly,” Professor Taalas said. “But these changes in the carbon emissions, they haven’t had any impact on climate so far.”
Highlighting the dramatic improvement in air quality in major cities and industrialised regions “in several parts of the world”, the WMO chief noted that this has been the case “in China, in India and also here close to us in the Po Valley in northern Italy, which is one of the most polluted areas in Europe. And we have seen that also in individual cities like Paris.”
Climate change was “of a different magnitude” to the problems posed by the new coronavirus, Professor Taalas insisted, underscoring its sometimes fatal health risk, along with a devastating economic impact that “may be lasting for a few years”.
Given the fact that the last 50 years have seen the physical signs of climate change - and their impacts – gathering speed at a dangerous rate, the WMO head insisted that unless the world can mitigate climate change, it will lead to “persistent health problems, especially hunger and inability to feed the growing population of the world and there would be also more massive impact on economics”.
Since the first Earth Day in 1970, carbon dioxide levels have gone up 26 per cent, and the world’s average temperature has increased by 0.86 degrees Celsius (33.5 Fahrenheit).
The planet is also 1.1 degree (nearly 34 Fahrenheit) warmer than the pre-industrial era and this trend is expected to continue, WMO said.
In its latest report warning of the impacts of climate change, the UN agency confirmed that the last five years were the hottest on record.
Others key indicators showed an acceleration of climate change in the past five years.
These include ocean heat and acidification, sea level, glacier mass balance and Arctic and Antarctic sea ice.
- Wide shot: exterior, Place des Nations, Geneva, with broken chair sculpture and UN Geneva in background.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) - Professor Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General: “This drop of emissions of six per cent, that’s unfortunately short-term good news. So, in the most likely case we would easily go back to the normal (emission levels) next year and there might even be a boost in emissions because some of the industries have been stopped and so forth.”
- Medium shot: from outside UN Geneva with flag alley beyond fence.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) - Professor Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General: “When it comes to pollutants, for example like nitrous oxide; so particles, their lifetime is typically from days to weeks, so the impact is seen more rapidly. But these changes in the carbon emissions, they haven’t had any impact on climate so far.”
- Close-up: UN Geneva flag alley, flags and UN building in background, with UN logo and lettering visible.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) - Professor Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General: “We have also seen improvements in air quality in several parts of the world and that has been the case in China, in India and also here close to us in the Po Valley in northern Italy, which is one of the most polluted areas in Europe. And we have seen that also in individual cities like Paris.”
- Close-up: UN building in bright sunlight, shot from below, showing UN logo and lettering.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) - Professor Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General: “Climate change is of a different magnitude of the problem as compared to COVID; COVID is having short-term health problems - causing health problems for the mankind - and this economic impact may be lasting for a few years.”
- Medium shot: UN flag alley with UN flag in background; all are fluttering gently.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) - Professor Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General: “And if we are unable to mitigate climate change, we would see persistent health problems, especially hunger and inability to feed the growing population of the world and there would be also more massive impact on economics.”
- Wide shot: UN Geneva, main entrance.
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New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
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Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
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