Despite Kyoto protocol and lots of talk about climate change greenhouse gas emissions increased to record levels in 2007. Latest report from World Meteorological Organization (WMO) showed that carbon dioxide levels increased 0.5 percent from 2006 to reach 383.1 parts per million in 2007. Carbon dioxide levels were not the only greenhouse gases that showed increase, nitrous oxide levels went up 0.25 percent, and methane increased by 0,34 percent.This increase in greenhouse gas levels has increased the overall warming effect by one percent.
IF this data is compared with the greenhouse gas levels from 1990s then we could see a resounding 24.2 percent increase since 1990. Greenhouse gas levels are already too high, but world still hasn't done nothing, we hear a lot of talk but we see very little or no action. Global energy policy still remains the same, especially with the current decline in oil prices, and as long as fossil fuels remain dominant greenhouse gas levels will continue to rise.
Obama promised some sort of "green revolution" with more emphasis on clean energy sector and renewables but this still remains to be seen, especially given the current financial crisis that looks to be pushing "green revolution" to some other better times. What world still fails to see is the fact that we can forget about better times if we continue with current levels of CO2 emissions. Impact of global warming is getting stronger by the day so waiting for better times could mean catastrophe in making. Hopefully world leaders will give climate change problem the highest priority. Financial crisis is the big problem but definitely not as big as global warming and climate change.
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