GENEVA, Nov 23, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the
main driver of climate change, hit record highs last year and have continued
climbing this year, despite measures to halt the pandemic, the UN said
Monday.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that while lockdowns and
other measures had cut emissions, this had not curbed record concentrations
of the greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in the atmosphere, raising
temperatures, causing sea levels to rise and driving more extreme weather.
“The lockdown-related fall in emissions is just a tiny blip on the long-
term graph. We need a sustained flattening of the curve,” WMO chief Petteri
Taalas said in a statement.