The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
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.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Somalia: child hunger surges as humanitarian aid dries up – UNICEF
The global funding crisis for vital lifesaving work is taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable children in Somalia, where hundreds of health and nutrition facilities have been forced to close, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
As the deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo’s history continued spreading on Friday, UN responders renewed their urgent appeal for immediate international support, with existing funding for lifesaving work critically low.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: In the fight against Ebola, bikers transporting dead bodies hold key to community engagement - WHO
From the frontlines of the deadliest-ever Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) shared details on Tuesday of a massive push for community engagement, a day after yet another ambulance attack.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA
Sudan: The harrowing reality of giving birth in a war zone
Sudanese women about to give birth are losing their babies and sometimes their own lives because of a lack of specialist healthcare support, amid the ongoing war, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
Colombia earthquake: International teams ready to support, says UN
As earthquake rescue efforts across western Colombia continued on Tuesday, UN agencies said that they stood ready to help “with everything we've got” if and when the request came from the authorities.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | HRC
Myanmar's military has carried out a sustained campaign of deliberate attacks on civilians – including airstrikes on homes, schools and camps for displaced people, alongside arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence – Human Rights Council-appointed investigators said on Tuesday.
1
6
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
In a new twist on panda diplomacy, UN Geneva welcomed five young peacocks to the Palace of Nations on Friday, a gift of India that preserves a tradition of keeping the stately birds in the grounds, that predates both the global body and its ill-fated predecessor, the League of Nations.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Afghanistan’s hunger crisis intensifies as millions go without food aid – WFP
Afghanistan’s dire hunger crisis now affects 14 million people including babies fed on weak tea and a little bread by their despairing and dirt-poor parents.
In a new alert on Tuesday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that one in three Afghans is now in the grip of acute food insecurity and that it lacks the resources to contain the deepening crisis.
1
1
2
Edited News | IOM
From fake jobs to forced crime: IOM sounds alarm on human trafficking behind online scams
A job offer can conceal a criminal network and a single click can lead to a nightmare. Lured by false promises of legitimate employment abroad, hundreds of thousands of people are being trafficked each year, held captive and forced to carry out online scams.
Ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons marked on 30 July, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is raising the alarm over a rapidly expanding multibillion-dollar criminal industry that turns job seekers into victims of forced cybercrime.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In Sudan’s El Obeid, women risk drone attacks by day and rape by night to access water
As war intensifies in the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan state, filling up a jerrycan of water comes at a high risk for women and girls: by day, drones strike water points and by night, women who venture out to fill a bucket risk rape. UN Women warns of a dual terror that has turned access to water into a deadly gamble.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo made the following remarks on stranded Hormuz seafarers abandoned for months at sea, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Danielle Bell, head of UN Human Rights’ Ukraine team, spoke of the deepening impact of the war on the civilian population.