Greenhouse Gases alarmingly rising levels, concern for SDG 13: WMO

UN Climate Change Conference 2019 is being organized in Madrid, Spain from December 2-13, 2019. The conference has Article 6 on the table which is pending since past many years for want of consensus.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations body on weather, in a report released on Monday has warned the world of long term climate change, rising temperature and extreme weather conditions as the concentration of the greenhouse gases has reached to a record level. As per the report, in comparison to the pre-industrial levels, the concentration of the greenhouse gases is higher by 123 percent to 259 percent.

“In comparison to the pre-industrial levels the Carbon Mono-oxide (CO) is higher by 147 percent, Methane (CH4) by 259 percent and Nitrogen Dioxide (N2O) by 123 percent,” said the report asking the world leaders for immediate action to control the further deterioration of the environment. The report came a week before the environmentalists, climate change activists and political leaders from across the world are going to meet between December 2-13 in Madrid city Spain for the UN Climate Change Conference 2019, Conference of Parties (COP25). Though the COP 25 has a tough challenge of dealing with the issues which are pending since past three years, the expectations are high.

  

Record greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, as reported by @WMO today, means long-term #climatechange, rising temperatures and extreme weather.The @UN Climate Conference #COP25 in Madrid must provide an adequate response.Read more > https://t.co/kf3qaEG2sS pic.twitter.com/ZOTMv7IOc3

— UN Climate Change (@UNFCCC) November 25, 2019

 

“We need to cut greenhouse emissions by 45 percent by 2030, reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century,” said Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General in his message to the conference. As part of a pressure tactics, the European Union (EU) lawmakers have decided to declare ‘climate emergency’ to press the COP 25 to come with concrete solutions on climate change. Besides, more and more scientific bodies and climate change activists are trying to exert pressure on nation states to save the planet.   

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement which seeks to eliminate ‘double accounting’ and establish a ‘robust accounting’ mechanism for greenhouse emissions has become a bone of contention between development and developing economies. As per the present accounting system of greenhouse gas emissions, if a nation provides funds to the other nation to decrease emissions the investors shows the decreased emissions in its account. Besides, the beneficiary nation also shows the emission cuts in its account to claim credit. The Paris Agreement’s Article 6 directs to stop this double accounting system on which developed nations have serious objections. In addition, the article also includes a new market based mechanism to promote decrease in the greenhouse emissions. The countries are also divided on ‘carry forward’ mechanism of the emission credits earned from the existing old system after new system comes in place.

The COP 25 will take place under the Presidency of the Government of Chile and will be held with logistical support from the Government of Spain from December 2 – 13. Earlier,  the conference was scheduled to take place in Brazil but the new President Jair Bolsonaro withdrew the consent. It was then planned in Chile but due to agitation the venue was again shifted to Madrid.