Even as the pandemic caused a temporary decrease in fuel emissions, greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere still increased.
Levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere hit a record high in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic causing a worldwide decrease in fuel emissions, according to a report released Monday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The WMO, a United Nations body, published its findings in the latest issue of its Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. The findings show the major greenhouse gases of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide all rose during the year, with carbon dioxide rising by more than the 10-year average in 2020 to 413.2 parts per million. The report noted the pandemic caused a temporary decline in new emissions, yet that change played no noticeable effect on the overall atmospheric levels of greenhouses gases and their current growth rates. As long as emissions continue increasing, the WMO said global temperatures will also continue to rise.
