COP26
Greenhouse gases hit record high
October 26, 2021 - Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rose to record levels in 2020 despite a decrease in new emissions due to the pandemic, jeopardizing the effort to cap rising temperatures.
Related Graphics
View More
South Korea battles worst ever wildfires
Santa Ana winds fuel California wildfires
Several hundreds dead in Mayotte cyclone
Amazon deforestation falls to lowest since 2015
World's biggest iceberg spins in ocean trap
Eighty percent of GHG emissions from 57 companies
World’s largest iceberg breaks free after 30 years
Amazon deforestation down by a third in 2023
Destruction of world’s pristine rainforests soared in 2022
India, Pakistan brace for powerful cyclone
Climate change threat to Venice
Antarctica’s doomsday glacier melting fast
Antarctic iceberg the size of London
Guide to COP27 conference in Egypt
Trapped in “hunger hotspots”
Developed countries urged to honour $100bn pledge
Emblem for the COP27 conference in Egypt
Wildfire threatens world’s largest trees
Climate’s $100-billion broken promise
COP26 coal deal takes aim at dirtiest fossil fuel
Carbon emissions show rapid rebound after Covid dip
Over 100 countries pledge to cut methane emissions
More than 100 nations pledge to end deforestation
Climate scientists expect to see catastrophic changes
Renewables power past coal
Global struggle to curb emissions
Summer of fire and floods
Glasgow locks down for world leaders’ climate summit
The carbon cost of cement
China’s monumental coal-fired power plant drive
The concentration of carbon dioxide, which accounts for around 66% of the heating effect of greenhouse gases, reached 413.2 parts per million in 2020, 149% of the pre-industrial level. Despite the economic slowdown and reduced industrial activity caused by COVID-19, there was no discernible impact on the atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases and their growth rates, although there was a decline in new emissions.