The UN has warned that the world is "way off track" in its bid to cut emissions causing global warming. The news of record levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere comes just days ahead of the COP26 summit.
The WMO has measured greenhouse gases in record concentrations in the Earth's atmosphereImage: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Roessler
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Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere reached record levels in the atmosphere in 2020 despite a temporary decline in new emissions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations said on Monday,
The news contained in the "Greenhouse Gas Bulletin" of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) comes as world leaders prepare to attend the United Nations climate change conference, or COP26. The summit will aim to coordinate global efforts to combat global warming caused by human-made emissions.
"The 'Greenhouse Gas Bulletin' contains a stark, scientific message for climate change negotiators at COP26," said WMO chief Petteri Taalas.
"At the current rate of increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, we 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 [2.7 to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit] above pre-industrial levels," he said. "We are way off track."
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Weather extremes becoming the norm
Climate experts agree that increases beyond this level will exacerbate the already more frequent extreme weather situations that the Earth has been experiencing over past years, including floods, drought, hurricanes and prolonged heat waves.
"The last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was 3 to 5 million years ago, when the temperature was 2 to 3 C warmer and sea level was 10 to 20 meters (33 to 66 feet) higher than now. But there weren't 7.8 billion people then," said Taalas.
Taalas called for a "dramatic increase" in commitments at the COP26 conference beginning on October 31.
The world can expect even more extreme weather events, such as drought, experts sayImage: Ahmad Halabisaz/Photoshot/picture alliance
What did the WMO report say?
Concentrations of CO2 — the gas responsible for some 66% of the global warming effect — in the atmosphere reached 413.2 parts per million in 2020, up 2.5 ppm over the previous year. This is 149% of pre-industrial levels from 1750, the WMO said.
Averages of methane, the second-most-significant greenhouse gas, reached a new high of 1,889 parts per billion, up 11 ppb on the year before. That represents 262% more than emissions prior to 1750. Some 60% of methane emissions come from human activity, including agriculture and landfills.
The third-most-important climate-damaging gas, nitrous oxide, reached 333.2 ppb, up 1.2 ppb. That is 123% of pre-industrial levels.
The report also emphasized that because CO2 persists in the atmosphere for a long time, the global temperature will stay elevated for some time even if humankind succeeds in reducing emissions to net zero in the near future.
It said that while emissions dropped by 5.6% last year because of the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic, there had been no discernible effect either on the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere or the rate of their growth.
Rising sea levels caused by global warming are endangering coastal habitations like this Philippine villageImage: Getty Images/J. Aznar
What have experts said?
Euan Nisbet, from the University of London's Greenhouse Gas Group, said the findings showed the Earth was "skidding into a car crash."
"The disaster gets closer and closer, but you can't stop it. You can clearly see the crash ahead, and all you can do is howl," he said.
The director of the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, Dave Reay, said the WMO report was a "brutally frank" assessment of the achievements of COP summits up to now, which he described as "an epic fail."
In Taiwan, tea harvest suffers as the climate changes
Drought and heavy rainfall: Chien Shun-yih's tea plantation in Taiwan is severely affected by climate change, it seems. This year, almost half the harvest was lost.
Image: Ann Wang/REUTERS
Powerless against the climate
Plantation owner Chien Shun-yih is not satisfied with his harvest this year — extreme weather conditions have destroyed half of his crop. "You just can't control the weather, even when growing tea," he says. But with this DIY water storage tank, for example, he hopes to develop alternative strategies to combat the drought.
Image: Ann Wang/REUTERS
Taiwan tea's long tradition
Tea has been grown in the mountains around Meishan since the 19th century. Shun-yih took over the plantation three years ago after the death of his father. A lot has changed even since then, and over the years it has become increasingly important to develop ways to make a good harvest possible despite volatile weather conditions.
Image: Ann Wang/REUTERS
Tea workers earn less
Those working to harvest the tea are also directly affected by climate change, as their earnings are calculated by the price per kilogram. "Less harvest, less earnings," they point out. Because tea leaves take longer to grow these days, they now have to go out into the field several times per season.
Image: Ann Wang/REUTERS
Water pumps could help
Shun-yih is tireless and always looking for ways to improve the situation. A pipe connected to the water tank allows him to tap pools further away and pump water into storage, allowing him to irrigate the tea plants during more frequent and longer phases of drought.
Image: Ann Wang/REUTERS
New challenges
Climate-related changes bring further challenges. And scientists are trying to help. Pests are a big problem, because drought makes it easier for them to attack the plants. "Pests love the dry and the heat," says government researcher Lin Shiou-ruei. They attack already weakened plants, which "can even lead to the sensitive tea plants dying," she adds.
Image: Ann Wang/REUTERS
Climate link not yet proven
Shun-yih, who proudly tours visitors around his plantation, emphasizes repeatedly how dependent the harvest is on the consequences of changing weather conditions. But whether climate change is directly at cause for what is happening in Taiwan's tea country has not yet been definitively demonstrated.
Image: Ann Wang/REUTERS
Freshly harvested tea
Shun-yih and his team allow the freshly harvested tea leaves to dry naturally in the strong Taiwanese sun. Wherever he can, he lends a helping hand himself. The most important thing to do: Stay positive and hopeful, he believes. After the tea leaves have withered in the sun, the next step is fermentation.
Image: Ann Wang/REUTERS
The color has to be just right
During fermentation, timing is absolutely critical. The color of the tea leaves is an indication as to whether their taste is optimal. Artisanal tea production involves a number of further steps before it is ready for consumption.
Image: Ann Wang/REUTERS
Smelling the tea
Tea making requires experience — something Shun-yih and his team have many years of. An experienced tea grower can smell whether the tea is ready. Although the finished product requires a long and involved technique, there is strong hope that this tradition will continue to live on — despite the changing weather.
