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#Environment

■ Greenhouse gas levels surge to a new record in 2023: WMO-

✅Planet-warming greenhouse gas (GHG) levels surged to a new record in 2023, with annual mean levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most important GHG in the atmosphere, rising by 2.3 parts per million (PPM) between 2022 and 2023.

● Highlights:

✅Global levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), reached unprecedented highs, with CO₂ at 420 ppm.

✅This marks the 12th consecutive year with an increase of more than 2 ppm in CO₂ levels, a new record for greenhouse gases.

● Historical Context and Implications:

✅CO₂ levels today mirror those from 3-5 million years ago, a period when temperatures were 2-3°C higher and sea levels were 10-20 meters above current levels.

✅The report suggests these increased GHG levels could have lasting effects, with today’s temperatures expected to persist for decades even if emissions drop.

● Natural Factors and Anthropogenic Impacts:

✅The slight rise in CO₂ from 2022 to 2023 was driven by high fossil fuel emissions, wildfires, and reduced forest carbon absorption.

✅El Niño conditions in 2023, with higher temperatures and reduced rainfall, dried vegetation and triggered more wildfires, which released additional CO₂, amplifying warming effects.

● Potential for Vicious Cycle Due to Climate Feedbacks:

✅WMO cautions about a feedback loop where natural systems, such as forests and oceans, might increasingly emit GHGs instead of absorbing them.

✅As the planet warms, forest fires, decreased ocean CO₂ absorption, and thawing wetlands could worsen the greenhouse effect, keeping more CO₂ in the atmosphere.

● Methane’s Rising Contribution:

✅Methane saw its most significant three-year increase from 2020 to 2022, attributed to warmer and wetter conditions from La Niña, which increased methane emissions from wetlands.

✅Methane, although present in smaller quantities than CO₂, is a potent greenhouse gas with higher short-term warming potential.

● Radiative Forcing and Long-term Warming Impact:

✅Since 1990, the radiative forcing—or warming effect—of GHGs has increased by 51.5%, with CO₂ contributing around 81% to this rise.

✅The WMO’s findings emphasize that the warming influence of GHGs will remain long-term due to the persistence of CO₂ in the atmosphere, regardless of near-term emission reductions.

● Prelims Takeaways:

✅Planet-warming greenhouse gas (GHG)

✅El Nino

SOURCE - INDIAN EXPRESS

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