Report: Greenhouse gas emissions in atmosphere hit dangerous highs

World Today

FILE – In this Aug. 24, 2017 file photo the rising sun floods the sky with a warm light above the coal power plant in Mehrum near Hohenhameln, Germany. (Julian Stratenschulte/dpa via AP,file)

Despite global efforts to combat climate change, greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise. That’s according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). So what exactly is contributing to the increase?

CGTN’s Sean Callebs reports.

“The report indicates that for the last almost 20-years from 1990, we have observed a 41-percent increase of warming effect,” Deputy Secretary-General for the WMO, Elena Manaenkova said.

Much of that increase is blamed on carbon dioxide emissions that come from cars and factories. Members of the World Meteorological Organization are sounding the alarm.

According to scientists, dramatic warming is fueling violent storms around the world and drying out the U.S. west, facilitating some of the worst wildfires in U.S. history. The Bank of England says storms led to a record $140-billion in insurance losses in 2017.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been dismissive of scientific reports and is promising to pull the United States out of the historic Paris Climate accord. Much of the United States is coping with chilling weather right now. 

Scientists said Trump’s response isn’t surprising given the source, but it isn’t helpful.

The Chief Scientist for the WMO said, “Despite of these statements of President Trump, there is still a very concrete and specific movement by agencies under that administration to actually make a case of action against climate change – a very big case.”

The last time levels of CO2 were this high, was three to five million years ago. At that time, sea levels were at least 10-meters higher than today. If sea levels were that high now, some of the priciest real estate on earth would be completely submerged.