23 November 2009: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released the 2008 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which provides information on the state of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere using global observations through 2008.
The figures published in this fifth edition of the Bulletin show that the globally averaged mixing ratios of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) reached new highs in 2008, confirming the continued trend of rising atmospheric burdens of GHG since pre-industrial times. The Bulletin also shows that some halocarbons, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are decreasing slowly as a result of the phase-out of these compounds under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, but that concentrations of other gases such as HCFCs and HFCs, which are used to substitute chlorofluorocarbons, are increasing rapidly.
WMO prepares and distributes the annual GHG Bulletins in cooperation with the Global Atmosphere Watch Scientific Advisory Group for GHG. The measurement data are archived and distributed by WMO’s World Data Centre for GHGs, hosted by the Japan Meteorological Agency. [The 2008 Bulletin][WMO Press Release]