By Cliff Montgomery – Dec. 1st, 2010
Concentrated amounts of the major greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere now are at their highest level inindustrial times, the United Nations’ weather agency declared last week.
Increased amounts of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane were recorded in 2009 despite the GreatRecession, observed the World Meteorological Organization in its most recent Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.
Growing amounts of these greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere eventually creates global warming, whichin turn creates climate change. 2009 is the latest year for complete observations of the gas increases.
In fact, Earth now is firmly headed for a dangerous bout of global warming in the next 100 years, states theUnited Nations’ Environment Programme (UNEP), which officials describe as “the voice for the environment inthe United Nations (UN) system.”
Such gloomy assessments came just as a UN climate conference opened this Monday in Mexico.
Perhaps that’s intentional, as many UN officials no doubt hope things go better than they did at last year’sclimate conference in Copenhagen.
Attending countries at last year’s Copenhagen conference failed accept new, legally binding restrictions ongreenhouse gas emissions–a move intended to get a handle on climate change.
A last-minute agreement, often called the Copenhagen Accord, was little more than a voluntarily pledge byattending nations to lessen their dangerous emissions.
