Levels of three of the most important heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere reached record highs again last year, US scientists confirm, underscoring the seriousness of the challenge posed by the climate crisis. .
Global concentrations of carbon dioxide, the most important and prevalent greenhouse gas emitted by human activities, will rise to an average of 419 ppm in the atmosphere in 2023, while the short-lived but powerful greenhouse gas The effect gas, methane, rose to an average of 419 ppm. Average 1922ppb. Levels of nitrous oxide, the third most important source of anthropogenic warming emissions, rose slightly to 336 parts per billion.
Although this increase falls short of the record-breaking surge seen in recent years, it still represents a significant change in the composition of the atmosphere compared to just a decade ago, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).
Due to fossil fuel burning, livestock farming, and deforestation, global CO2 levels are now more than 50% higher than before the era of mass industrialization. Methane, produced by oil and gas drilling and livestock, has increased even more dramatically in recent years, with atmospheric concentrations now 160% higher than before the industrial revolution, Noah said.
Noah said rising greenhouse gas levels are due to the continued use of fossil fuels and the effects of wildfires that spew carbon-laden smoke into the air. On the other hand, nitrous oxide levels are rising due to the spread of nitrogen fertilizers and agricultural intensification.
“As these numbers show, there is still much work to be done to make meaningful progress in reducing the amount of greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere,” said Noah's Institute for Global Monitoring. Director Vanda Grubisic said.
The increasing presence of greenhouse gases is fueling a rise in global temperatures, with last year being the hottest on record around the world. It also causes associated impacts such as floods, droughts, heat waves, and wildfires.
It is also pushing the world into a state not seen since before human civilization. Noah said today's carbon dioxide levels are comparable to levels from about 4 million years ago, when sea levels were about 75 feet higher than they are now, average temperatures were much warmer, and areas of the now-frozen Arctic were much warmer. It is said to have been occupied by a large forest.
The timescales of the climate crisis are enormous, as CO2 levels and their effects have a lag, and emissions remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. Scientists have warned that governments need to rapidly cut emissions to net zero and then start removing carbon from the atmosphere to limit future temperature rises.