Edited News , Press Conferences | UNITED NATIONS , WMO
Ahead of the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) on 31 October, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Monday warned that the world is "way off-track" in containing global temperature rise with the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most important greenhouse gas, reaching 413.2 parts per million in 2020. This is 149% of the pre-industrial level.
Speaking at the presentation of this year’s “Greenhouse Gas Bulletin” at the United Nations in Geneva, Prof. Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said that “we have again broken records in main greenhouse gases; carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, and this negative trend that we have been observing in all reports for decades has continued also this year.”
WMO’s annual flagship report on concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stated that as long as emissions continue, global temperature will continue to rise. Given the long life of CO2, the temperature level already observed will persist for several decades even if emissions are rapidly reduced to net zero. Alongside rising temperatures, this means more weather extremes including intense heat and rainfall, ice melt, sea-level rise and ocean acidification, accompanied by far-reaching socioeconomic impacts.
At the current rate of increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, so WMO, the world will see a temperature increase by the end of this century far in excess of the Paris Agreement targets of 1,5 to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
“We need to mitigate emissions, there is no way around it. We need to reduce emissions as fast as possible”, said Oksana Tarasova, WMO’s chief of Atmospheric and Environment Research Division. She added that “when countries are taking commitments to be carbon neutral, (the) atmosphere gives us a very clear signal that our commitments should be converted in something which we can see in the atmosphere. If we do not see our - let's say at least the decreasing growth rate of the major greenhouse gases - we cannot actually declare the success in climate agenda. We are making measurements and we are providing objective information on what is going on in the atmosphere, so commitments should be followed by the actions.”
A new striking information in this year’s greenhouse gas bulletin is the scientific proof that the south-western part of the Amazonian rainforest has developed from a carbon sink to a producer of carbon.
“We have already seen some alarming indications that for example the Amazonian rainforest ecosystem it used to be a major sink of carbon has become now a source of carbon which is alarming, and this is related to deforestation in the area and also changes in local climate because of this deforestation and also higher temperatures which are favoring evaporation”, Mr. Taalas said.
Co2 is the single most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, accounting for approximately 66 % of the warming effect on the climate, mainly because of fossil fuel combustion and cement production. Roughly half of the CO2 emitted by human activities today remains in the atmosphere. The other half is taken up by oceans and land ecosystems.
“It is clear from science that these concentrations of greenhouse gases, they are driving climate change and if we are able to mitigate those emissions, we could phase out the negative trend in climate around 2060”, Mr. Taalas said. “So that is our aim, but we have also some parameters, some features that will continue for even hundreds of years and that means the melting of snow and ice and melting of glaciers and a related sea level rise. So, we have already reached such a high concentration of carbon dioxide that the problem does not go away fairly, fairly soon”.
Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for centuries and in the ocean for even longer. Many countries are setting carbon neutral targets and it is hoped that COP 26 will bring an increase in commitments.
According to WMO’s chief, “we have all the technical means to convert our energy systems, our transport systems and most of the industry systems to become climate friendly. And also we have the financial resources to reach that but, so far, the progress has been too slow”.
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Edited News | WFP
Gazans’ response to food distributions ‘overwhelming’ as humanitarians scale up under fragile ceasefire
In Gaza, the ceasefire is enabling UN humanitarians to reach more desperate people with life-saving food but greater access is needed to contain the spread of famine.
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Statements , Press Conferences | UNCTAD
Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UN trade and development (UNCTAD) briefs the media following the opening of the 16th Conference of the United Nations on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16) in Geneva.
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Edited News | WFP , OCHA
UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.
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Press Conferences | UNCTAD , WMO , WFP , UN WOMEN , WHO , OCHA
Rolando Gómez, Chief of Section, Public Information, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the World Food Programme, UN Women, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Meteorological Organization.
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Press Conferences | WMO
WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin
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Edited News | UNDP , UNICEF , OCHA , ICRC
Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid continues to reach desperate Palestinians.
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Press Conferences | WMO , UNICEF , UNDP , ICRC , WHO , OCHA
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Meteorological Organization, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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Press Conferences | UNCTAD
UNCTAD / 16TH CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
As the global economy undergoes tectonic shifts in trade, finance and technology, global economic and development leaders will gather in Geneva this month to chart a path through mounting uncertainty and fragmentation. Ahead of the 16th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16), Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan outlines how countries can navigate record debt, disrupted supply chains, volatile investment flows and accelerating digital transformation. UNCTAD / UNTV CH
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Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s decision to name Maria Machado as this year’s laureate, in recognition of her work promoting the Venezuelan people’s democratic hopes.
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Edited News | UNRWA , UNICEF , WHO
As Gazans jammed the main route leading north on Friday after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced, UN aid teams repeated their call to open all crossings into the devastated enclave to prevent famine spreading.
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Press Conferences | IFRC , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF , UNRWA , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the World Health Organization.