Concrete Actions Crucial To Save World From The Wrath of Climate Change
The U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) spoke today on the rising concentrations of greenhouse gases that rose to a symbolic milestone and called for “concrete actions” to address this prevailing problem.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas stressed in a news conference in Geneva the need for global action to curb man-made global warming.
Taalas said, “The key issue here is to go from this kind of political will to concrete action.”
WMO says globally averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide, the main man-made greenhouse gas, reached an alarming 400.0 parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere for the first time on record. This record is 44 percent above levels before the Industrial Revolution.
Human Will Makes a Difference
Aside from the need for political will in tandem with concrete actions, WMO also stressed the need for human will.
WMO’s atmospheric environment research chief Oksana Tarasova said carbon dioxide levels will continue to increase unless the world stops burning fossil fuels and starts planting trees.
Tarasova said, “The technology is there. It’s just human will. If we want we can do it.”
“You can bend the curve. If you take an action and you sign a treaty and everybody follows their commitments. It’s not magic.”
Tarasova added, “We could see improvement in the 2060s if we start reducing emissions now.”
The Worst is Here!
WMO also underlined the worst consequence of climate change such as weather-related disasters. These effects will likely to continue even if emissions start to plummet.
In addition, an observatory at Mauna Loa in Hawaii, the main measuring station with records back to 1958, “predicts that carbon dioxide concentrations will stay above 400 ppm for the whole of 2016 and not dip below that level for many generations.”
UN climate scientists estimate that concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are at their highest in at least 800,000 years.
Taalas emphasized, “The real elephant in the room is carbon dioxide, which remains in the atmosphere for thousands of years.”
Scientists predict that the recent trend for heavy rain, droughts and snow storms will continue or worsen over the next 100 years if levels of greenhouse gases continue rising at their current rate, so there’s never been a better time to get involved.
