|
|
| Conference | |
| About us Feedback Register Contact Advertise Editorial Finditforme | Publications Partners Links Discussions Quiz |
Channel Homepages
» Home
» Sustainable Business » Green Buildings » Contaminated Land » Water/Wastewater » Waste/Recycling » Energy/Carbon » edie Ireland » Resource Centres » Sustainabilitylive! Site SponsorTo see all site sponsors, click here
|
7 November 2006 Greenhouse gases reach record high Kyoto targets are not enough to level off, let alone turn around the rise in greenhouse gases, the WMO has said As international delegates review progress Kyoto in Nairobi (see related story), the Annual Greenhouse gas Bulletin revealed a rise in overall concentrations despite some progress on Kyoto targets. Carbon dioxide rose by 0.5% last year reaching 35.5% above pre-industrial levels, nitrous dioxide (N2O) went up by 0.2%, while methane concentrations stayed constant. Between them, CO2, N2O and methane are responsible for most of the man-made warming to date, or 0.88% of the increase in the atmosphere's heat-trapping properties. Carbon dioxide has now accumulated to a level of 379.1parts per million, compared to around 280ppm in pre-industrial times. Even if all Kyoto targets are met, the resulting 5% cut in developing countries' emissions from 1990 levels by 2008-12 would not be enough to put the breaks on the rise in heat-trapping gases, the WMO has said. "To really make CO2 level off we will need more drastic measures than are in the Kyoto Protocol today,", Geir Braathen, a senior scientist in the UN's World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), told reporters. Meanwhile, Kyoto signatories Canada, Spain and Italy are almost sure to miss their objectives, and the world's biggest polluters, the US and China, remain free of binding targets. Britain is campaigning for the US, China and India to accept binding targets for the next round of negotiations. While the CO2 build-up is largely due to humans burning fossil fuels, only 30% of the nitrous oxide increase is caused by human activities. Fuel combustion, biomass burning and fertiliser use all produce N2O. Around 60% of methane emissions come from human activities like fossil fuel combustion, rice agriculture, livestock farming and biomass burning. Although CO2 is the most important greenhouse gas it is only responsible for 62% of the greenhouse effect observed to date. The full WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin 2005 can be found here. Goska Romanowicz Source: edie newsroom Share this
© Faversham House Group Ltd 2006. edie news articles may be copied or forwarded
for individual use only. No other reproduction or distribution is permitted without prior written consent.
|
 You are notlogged in » Log in here Why not register for your free weekly newsletter? Related Stories Wind power generation in the US grew by 50% in 2008 and channelled investment of $17bn into the economy.» Eco-friendly boat smashes world recordNews in brief» Eco-boat on target to beat world record  A team of sailors are attempting to break the powerboat round-the-world record in an environmentally friendly boat powered by biofuels.» 2007 boosts renewables but brings bad news for climateLast year was a good year for renewables but a bad year for the global climate, according to two new pieces of research. Related Media» Hilary Benn comments on agricultural emissionsThe Environment Secretary responds to a question on policy to tackle carbon emissions from meat production in the UK. Speaking at the launch of the Aldersgate Group's Beyond Carbon report.
» Hilary Benn MP talks biofuelsThe Secretary of State for the Environment responds to a question about biofuels and sustainable transport at the launch of the Aldersgate Group's resource efficiency report Beyond Carbon.
» Best Carbon Reduction ProjectComedian Hugh Dennis presents the award for Best Carbon Reduction Project 2009 at the edie.net Awards for Environmental Excellence
» See more
|
Send to a friend
Link to this page
Comment
| Conference | |
| About us Feedback Register Contact Advertise Editorial Finditforme | Publications Partners Links Discussions Quiz |
Other Faversham House Websites include
web4water | Builders Merchants Journal | FHG Media | Desalination & Water Reuse | ACR-News | DIY Week | Heating and Ventilating Review
web4water | Builders Merchants Journal | FHG Media | Desalination & Water Reuse | ACR-News | DIY Week | Heating and Ventilating Review
» Discussion - Can we cut building emissions fast enough to meet targets?
» Discussion - Will energy meters cut climate change or are they a gimmick?