It looks like all of us, not just polar bears, could be royally screwed after all, as scientists have revealed that the world is halfway towards the threshold that could result in dangerous climate change.
According to a report, published by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the world is heading towards uncharted territory at ‘frightening speed’ as the concentration of man-made greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached another new record.
Latest figures show that levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide especially from industrial, agricultural and activities have skyrocketed – with global average concentrations of carbon dioxide in spring 2015 crossing the 400 parts per million barrier for the first time.
Michael Jarraud, Secretary General of the WMO reckons we can look forward to hotter global temperatures, more extreme weather events like heatwaves and floods, melting ice, rising sea levels and increased acidity of the oceans – all good then…
Reported in The Independent, Mr Jarraud, said:
“Every year we report a new record in greenhouse gas concentrations. Every year we say that time is running out. We have to act now to slash greenhouse gas emissions if we are to have a chance to keep the increase in temperatures to manageable levels.”
With 2015 all set to be the hottest year on record you would think that cutting CO2 emissions would be top of the bill for our leadership however Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has come under fire over a leaked letter warning the UK is set to miss legal targets on renewable energy.
In the letter, published by Ecologist magazine, Ms Rudd has acknowledged to colleagues that the UK is set to fall short of its European Union targets to source 15 per cent of energy from renewable sources by 2020.
The leak has prompted angry responses from green campaigners, who say it shows the Government’s “incoherent” energy policy, which has seen cuts to subsidies for renewables such as wind and solar power.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said they did not comment on leaked documents, so at least they’re not ignoring the issue then.
