After a summer of fires and unprecedented heat waves and an autumn that saw several areas of Italy victims of floods, the new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) tells us that greenhouse gas emissionscause of climate change, they reached record levels in 2023.
Specifically, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 420 parts per millionmarking an increase of 10% compared to 20 years ago. This increase is the result of a persistent and “stubbornly high” use of fossil fuels, therefore oil, gas and coal, aggravated by increasingly frequent and intense forest fires.
Celestial SaulSecretary General of the WMO, underlined that these are data that should ring alarm bells for policy makers: “We are clearly off track to reach the goal of the Paris Agreement of limit global warming to well below 2°C“. The reality is that every fraction of a degree of temperature increase has tangible consequences on the lives of millions of people and on the planet’s ecosystems.
In detail, in addition to CO2, the concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide also showed significant increases: the methane reached 1,934 parts per billion, an increase of 165% compared to pre-industrial levelswhile the nitrous oxide reached 336.9 parts per billion, with an increase of 25%. These data paint a disturbing picture of a planet in danger.
WMO warns that global warming could trigger critical climate feedbacks. More intense forest fires release carbon, while warmer oceans absorb less CO2, as well as giving rise to extreme weather events, creating a vicious cycle that amplifies the effects of climate change. Glen Petersclimate scientist, confirmed: “The data shows that we are not making much progress in reducing emissions.”
In parallel, the United Nations Environment Program released its report “Emissions Gap Report 2024”, highlighting that current national climate plans would lead to an emissions reduction of only 2.6% by the end of the decadefar from the objectives necessary to prevent catastrophic consequences. Joeri Rogelja climate scientist at Imperial College London, said: “Record levels of CO2 are the logical consequence of the emissions that continue to be pumped into the atmosphere by our economies.”
On the eve of COP29, which will be held in Baku (Azerbaijan) from 11 to 22 November, the WWF called on governments to review their climate commitments upwards and increase climate finance.
Mariagrazia Midullahead of Climate and Energy at WWF Italy, warned: “The unaltered growth of greenhouse gas emissions leads to more serious extreme weather events and increasingly higher economic risks.” Current policies, he underlined, are insufficient and cannot guarantee a safe future for the Planet. “Today the real enemies of humanity are climate inactivists and those not trying to stop biodiversity loss.”
It is clear that inaction carries very high costs, not only for climate goals, but also for the health and well-being of all living things. For this reason, the WWF urged all countries in a note to establish clear emissions reduction objectives and to ensure that the measures are supported by adequate funding.
The climate issue is a global problem that requires concrete actions. Solutions exist but without an immediate and coordinated collective commitment, the risk is that of exceeding limits that we cannot afford to go beyond.
If it is true that 2023 marked and represented a critical point in the fight against climate change, it is equally true that the road towards a sustainable future is still viableas long as we engage in unprecedented mobilization.
COP29 will represent the test to understand whether, this time too, we will waste a precious opportunity to rethink our strategies and take decisive actions to address the current climate-environmental crisis.
