Greenhouse gases reach highest levels, meteorologists warn

    GENEVA, Nov. 23, 2009 (Xinhua) --

Greenhouse gases have reached their highest levels since pre-industrial times, meteorologists warned on Monday.

    The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that 2008 saw the largest increase in greenhouse gases since 1998 during a press conference in Geneva.

    "We want decisions to be based not on rumors but on facts, so here are the facts," said Michel Jarraud, the WMO Secretary General, referring to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.

    The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin shows that as of 2008, ratios of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide increased by 38 percent, 157 percent and 19 percent, respectively, since pre-industrial times before 1750.

    "What this increase means was that Kyoto was not enough," said Jarraud, "but without Kyoto, it would be even worse." The bulletin revealed that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are decreasing in concentration, thanks to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which entered into force in 1989, though other halogenated gases are increasing rapidly.

    "What I know is that we should not give up. We should make every effort to get the best possible agreement in Copenhagen. It is important to be determined. It is important to minimize the amount of climate change. The more we delay the decisions, the bigger the impact," said Jarraud.

    The WMO, through its Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Program, coordinates observations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere through a network of 200 stations in more than 50 countries. The WMO was established in 1950. It has 188 member countries and is headquartered in Geneva.

Editor: Zhang Xiang

Climate change 'tipping points' reached if no action taken: WWF

    GENEVA, Nov. 23, 2009 (Xinhua) --

The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and Allianz jointly warned that 'tipping points' will be reached if no action is taken to counteract climate change.

    "If we don't take immediate action against climate change, we are in grave danger of disruptive and devastating changes," said Kim Carstensen, head of WWF's Global Climate Initiative, in a statement in Berlin.

    Titled Major Tipping Points in the Earth's Climate System and Consequences for the Insurance Sector, the report was written by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. It was issued by WWF and Allianz, the world's second largest international insurance and financial services company.

    "As an insurer and investor, we must prepare our clients for these scenarios as long as we still have leeway for action," said Clemens von Weichs, CEO of Allianz Reinsurance.

    "Setting premiums risk-appropriately and sustainably is of vital interest to everyone involved, because this is the only way to ensure that coverage solutions will continue to exist." According to the report, tipping points are global temperature thresholds that could unleash social, economic and environmental change, such as rising sea levels, increasing drought and weather disturbances.

    "There is still a chance to avoid the worst and this report shows how urgent it is to act immediately," said Carstensen, adding that "a strong climate agreement in Copenhagen in December is the best, if not the only chance to prevent the worst impacts of devastating climate change."

    The Gland-based WWF, founded in 1961, is active in more than 90 countries. 

Editor: Mu Xuequan

Greenhouse gases in atmosphere reach record high in 2008, says WMO

    GENEVA, Nov. 23, 2009 (Xinhua) --

Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to increase and in 2008 global concentrations of such gases reached the highest levels recorded since pre-industrial times, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday.

    Greenhouse gases trap radiation within the Earth's atmosphere causing it to warm. Human activities, such as fossil fuel burning and agriculture, are major emitters of greenhouse gases which scientists widely recognize as drivers of global warming and climate change.

    After water vapor, the four most prevalent long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are directly influenced by humans are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N20)and halocarbons.

    According to the WMO's 2008 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, the globally averaged mixing ratio of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2008 was385.2 ppm (parts per million), with an increase of 2.0 ppm from the previous year, continuing the tendency of exponential increase.

    The globally averaged mixing ratio of CHR in 2008 was 1,797 ppb(parts per billion), which means an increase of 7 ppb from the previous year. While the concentration of CH4 was stable for seven years from 1999 to 2006, both 2007 and 2008 showed a significant increase.

    The globally averaged mixing ratio of N2O in 2008 was 321.8 ppb,0.9 ppb higher than in 2007, and 19 percent above the pre-industrial level.

    Some halocarbons such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), previously used as refrigerants, as propellants in spray cans and as solvents, are decreasing slowly as a result of the phase-out of these compounds through the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

    However, concentrations of other halocarbons such as HCFCs and HFCs, which are used to substitute chlorofluorocarbons, are increasing rapidly, according to the bulletin.

    "It's not really good news: concentration of greenhouse gases continue to increase, actually even a bit faster," WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud told reporters in Geneva.

    He called for urgent global actions to prevent "the most pessimistic scenario" of global warming from happening. 

Editor: Mu Xuequan