The UN's meteorological agency has said CO2 levels are accelerating at the highest rate on record and showing "no sign of a slowdown." The report comes one week ahead of a UN climate summit in Madrid.
Image: picture-alliance/S. Ziese
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Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the main drivers of climate change, reached record levels in 2018, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Monday.
Since 1990, the warming effect of greenhouse gases has increased by 43%, according to the UN agency's annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.
"There is no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline in greenhouse gases' concentration in the atmosphere — despite all the commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas, referencing the 2015 climate deal involving 187 countries.
"What is good news is the visibility of these issues is higher than ever," Taalas added. "So, personally, I'm more hopeful than I used to be 10 years ago, but of course we have to speed up the process."
The report comes a week before a UN climate summit in Madrid and is expected to guide discussions there.
A Tanzanian cartoonist inspires environmental change
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Record CO2 rise
The report measures the atmospheric concentration of the gases responsible for climate change rather than emissions, the main factor that determines greenhouse gas levels.
The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) rose from 405.5 parts per million in 2017 to 407.8 parts per million in 2018. The 2.3 parts per million increase from 2017 exceeded the average annual increase of 2.06 parts per million in 2005-2015.
"It is worth recalling that the last time Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was 3 to 5 million years ago," Taalas said.
CO2 is a product of burning fossil fuels and accounts for most of the global warming effect.
Additionally, the WMO report says heavy use of fertilizers led to the highest annual increase of nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations ever recorded. N2O levels are 123% above preindustrial levels, while methane now stands at 259%.
"This continuing long-term trend means that future generations will be confronted with increasingly severe impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures, more extreme weather, water stress, sea level rise and disruption of marine and land ecosystems," the report said in its summary.
Climate change, globalization, the economy — can movies save the world?
Marcus Vetter's film "The Forum" premieres in Amsterdam at the world's largest documentary film festival — the latest in a series of documentaries focusing on climate change and globalization.
Image: Pierre Johne
Behind the scenes: "The Forum"
Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum in Davos, speaks with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a scene from "The Forum" by director Marcus Vetter. The documentary is one of several films currently focusing on topical debates around the world about the global economy, climate change and globalization. The films are designed to present the audience with facts.
Image: Pierre Johne
What to expect: "2040"
"2040" by Australian director Damon Gameau also looks at the state the world is in and gives a glimpse of the possible future. Gameau comes to the conclusion that despite all its crises, the world is not lost, that people must turn to already existing ideas about climate protection, agriculture and energy production — and make use of them.
Image: Universum
An eye on the children: "2040"
His daughter inspired him to make a documentary, says Australian director Damon Gameau, arguing that today's adults have a responsibility to the world's children. They will have to live in the world that earlier generations left them, he says. The film explores what the world might look like in 2040.
Image: Universum
"But Beautiful"
Director Erwin Wagenhofer takes a close look at the state of the world as well. He is one of several documentary filmmakers who are optimistic about the future. This may surprise some viewers, but what choice do people have? Putting your head in the sand is not an alternative, so Wagenhofer portrays people who set a good example.
Image: Pandora Film
Genetic research: "Human Nature: Die CRISPR Revolution"
In "Human Nature: The CRISPR Revolution," director Adam Bolt looks at the risks and possibilities of genetic research — primarily concerned with the opportunities that this research offers in the fight against diseases. According to experts interviewed in the film, the breakthrough in genetic research is a greater transformation than the digital revolution.
Image: mindjazz Pictures
Look at Asia: "Bamboo Stories"
Unlike other documentaries, "Bamboo Stories" does not look at the big picture. Instead, director Shaheen Dill-Riaz fouses on bamboo raftsmen in Bangladesh, on their lives and needs. A single issue perhaps, but the audience is free to make the leap from that smaller world and associate it with the world as a whole.
Image: MAYALOK
International flow of money and goods: "Capital in the 21st Century"
Environment, climate and economy are inseparable — and that is an important topic in many documentaries. The film "Capital in the 21st Century" looks at economic history over the past 400 years. New Zealand director Justin Pemberton tackled the Herculean task of filming Thomas Piketty's international nonfiction best-seller as a documentary.
Image: Upside and GFC (Capital) limited
Documentaries explain the world
Climate change, environmental policy, economic connections and disenchantment with politics: everything is interconnected. At least that is the impression audiences take away from watching the documentaries. At best, films like "The Forum" (above) might help people understand a few connections and not to take an overly pessimistic view of the future.
