10 November 2015
WMO Reports Record High Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Concentrations
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In the November 2015 edition of its Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports that the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere reached another record high in 2014.

It indicates that atmospheric CO2 concentrations reached 397.7 parts per million (ppm) in 2014, and that between 1990 and 2014, radiative forcing increased by 36% due to emissions from industrial, agricultural and domestic activities.

WMO9 November 2015: In the November 2015 edition of its Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports that the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere reached another record high in 2014. It indicates that atmospheric CO2 concentrations reached 397.7 parts per million (ppm) in 2014, and that between 1990 and 2014, radiative forcing increased by 36% due to emissions from industrial, agricultural and domestic activities.

The Bulletin, released in advance of the Paris Climate Change Conference, also highlights the interaction and amplification effect between rising levels of CO2 and water vapor, emphasizing that further increases in CO2 concentrations will lead to increases in thermal energy and warming from water vapor.

According to WMO, in spring 2014, atmospheric CO2 concentrations reached 400 ppm in the Northern hemisphere, while in spring 2015, the global average CO2 concentration passed the 400 ppm mark. WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud underlined that average global average CO2 levels will soon remain permanently above 400 ppm, noting this will lead to hotter global temperatures, more extreme weather events and increased oceans acidity.

The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which provides a scientific base for decision making, reports on atmospheric concentrations, not emissions, of GHG, which represent what remains in the atmosphere after the system of interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere and the oceans. According to WMO, about a quarter of total emissions is taken up by the oceans and another quarter by the biosphere, while the rest in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. [WMO Press Release] [WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin]

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