Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases once again reached new highs in 2018.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the increase in CO2 was just above the average rise recorded over the last decade.
Levels of other warming gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, have also surged by above average amounts.
Since 1990 there's been an increase of 43% in the warming effect on the climate of long lived greenhouse gases.
Note that this is different than just looking at emissions.
Concentrations are what's left in the air after a complex series of interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans, the forests and the land. About a quarter of all carbon emissions are absorbed by the seas, and a similar amount by land and trees.
Using data from monitoring stations in the Arctic and all over the world, researchers say that in 2018 concentrations of CO2 reached 407.8 parts per million (ppm), up from 405.5ppm a year previously.
emphasis added
Is 407.8 ppm significant? It’s in the wrong direction certainly — and the rate of increase is creeping upwards. In short — we are not doing enough yet to cut emissions to the point where we start seeing a decrease. As the planet warms, the heating is releasing more GHGs above and beyond direct human production — as per this example among others. There’s also less capacity to absorb CO2, as per this example.
Addressing Climate Change is a Red Queen’s Race; standing still is not an option and we’re not moving fast enough yet.
"Well, in our country," said Alice, still panting a little, "you'd generally get to somewhere else—if you run very fast for a long time, as we've been doing."
"A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" [1]
