The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said today, Wednesday, that a United Nations-led plan to tackle climate change by radically improving the way atmospheric pollutants that trap heat across the planet is measured is receiving serious attention from governments and the scientific community. international.
The WMO initiative will establish a network of ground-based measurement stations that can check alarming air quality data identified by satellites or aircraft, likely in the next five years.
“Currently, there is no comprehensive and timely international exchange of surface and space greenhouse gas monitoring,” the UN agency said, urging “improved (international) cooperation and data sharing in support of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which provides a roadmap for reducing carbon emissions.” and the ability to adapt to climate change.
The methane puzzle
“It’s not just human emissions (that will be monitored), but what the forests are doing and what the oceans are doing,” said Dr Oksana Tarasova, chief scientific officer at the World Meteorological Organization. “We need this information to support our mitigation operations, because we don’t have time waste it.”
In 2022, Dr. Tarasova continued, the organization reported the largest increase ever observed in methane gas. notes and on the use of these notes.”
climate of understanding
The World Meteorological Organization stressed that cooperation between governments, international organizations and the private sector will be necessary if the proposed global plan to monitor greenhouse gases is to be applicable.
Equally important is increased coordination between ground, airborne and space monitoring networks.
“With more accurate, long-term data, we will gain a better understanding of our changing atmosphere,” the UN agency said. “We will be able to make more informed decisions and understand whether the actions we have taken are having the desired effect.”
The World Meteorological Organization explained that some governments and international organizations already monitor specific atmospheres and maintain data sets, but “there is no comprehensive guidance mechanism and there is an undue reliance on research funding,” in order to support the establishment of a single, internationally coordinated weather watch.
Race Tracking
The Earth’s atmosphere is mainly composed of nitrogen and oxygen, but there are also many different trace gases and molecules that have a significant impact on life and the natural environment.
Since industrialization, greenhouse gas emissions have changed the composition of the atmosphere significantly. In particular, the organization has repeatedly warned that increasing levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane contribute to global warming and lead to climate change.
These and other pollutants also affect air quality for people, agriculture, and ecosystems, which is why accurate measurements of the air we breathe are so important, climate scientists believe.
“Accurate and reliable data and knowledge about pollution levels and atmospheric deposition help us better understand their impacts on the environment, human health, biodiversity loss, ecosystems and water quality, and to mitigate these impacts or put preventive measures in place,” the UN agency said.
