THE atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases hit a record high last year, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Wednesday, emphasising that there was ‘no end in sight’ to this concerning trend.

“Despite decades of warnings from the scientific community, thousands of pages of reports and dozens of climate conferences, we are still heading in the wrong direction,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

But a glimmer of hope emerged when Eurostat reported that greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union experienced a notable decrease of over five per cent in the second quarter of 2023.

The EU has one of the most ambitious climate change policies of any major economy, having passed laws to deliver its 2030 target to cut net emissions by 55pc from 1990 levels, which analysts say is the minimum needed to reach net zero emissions by 2050, Reuters reported.

EU emissions came down by 5pc in second quarter of 2023

The most significant decline was observed in the sectors of electricity and gas supply. This positive development signals a noteworthy shift in the right direction.

The EU’s emissions between April to June amounted to 821 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents, down 5.3pc from a year earlier, while the bloc’s economy remained almost stable, registering a year-on-year variation of 0.05pc in the period.

Electricity and gas supply, the sector whose emissions fell the most (-22pc), contributed 15.5pc to the total figure, while agriculture accounted for 14.3pc and transportation and storage for 12.8pc.

Slow progress

Mr Taalas said higher concentrations of greenhouse gases would be accompanied by more extreme weather events, including intense heat and rainfall, ice melt, higher sea levels, as well as ocean heat and acidification, which needs ‘urgent and prompt global action’.

“About half of the planet has been facing an increase of flooding events, and one third of the planet has been facing an increase of drought events, and this negative trend will continue until 2060s,” Mr Taalas said.

“We must reduce the consumption of fossil fuels as a matter of urgency,” he added.

Plus, a separate report published by the United Nations (UN) on Tuesday warned that the existing national climate action plans fall short in effectively restraining global temperature rise to the targeted 1.5 degrees Celsius and achieving the objectives outlined in the Paris Agreement.

Despite intensified efforts from certain nations, the report underscores the imperative for more immediate and substantial actions to redirect the world’s emissions trajectory downward. This is crucial to avert the severe consequences of climate change.

“This means COP28 must be a clear turning point. Governments must not only agree what stronger climate actions will be taken but also start showing exactly how to deliver them,” said the Executive-Secretary of UN Climate Change, Simon Stiell.

Monitoring the escalating climate crisis in South Asian regions, where the two largest metropolitan cities in India and Pakistan grapple with hazardous smog, the report emphasises the necessity for immediate measures to reduce greenhouse emissions by 43pc by the year 2030. This aligns with the findings outlined in a September 2023 report from the Nature Geoscience journal.

“The Global Stocktake report released by UN Climate Change this year clearly shows where progress is too slow. But it also lays out the vast array of tools and solutions put forward by countries. Billions of people expect to see their governments pick up this toolbox and put it to work,” Mr Stiell said.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2023