GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS MONITORING INFRASTRUCTURE -
ENVIRONMENT
News: UN
takes new measures to fight climate change
What's in the news?
● The
U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization
has come up with a new Global Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Infrastructure that
aims to provide better ways of measuring planet-warming pollution and help
inform policy choices.
● The
WMO's new platform will integrate
space-based and surface-based observing systems, and seek to clarify
uncertainties about where greenhouse gas emissions end up.
● Further
approval will be needed from the World Meteorological Congress – the WMO's top
decision-making body – in May.
WMO observation:
● The
increase in CO2 levels from 2020 to 2021
was higher than the average growth rate over the past decade, and methane
saw the biggest year-on-year jump since measurements started.
● The
three major greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Of
those, CO2 accounts for around 66% of the warming effect on the climate.
● There
are still uncertainties, especially regarding the role in the carbon cycle of
the ocean, the land biosphere and the permafrost areas.
Importance of the Initiative:
● This
will provide vital information and support for implementation of the Paris
Agreement.
● Useful for the poor
countries: This monitoring mechanism will be very
useful for the developing and less developed countries to mitigate climate
change.
● Coordinated approach:
This global level initiative will be a better tool for coordinated approach to
climate change mitigation measures.
About Paris agreement:
● It
is a multinational agreement that
was signed as part of the UNFCCC with the intention of reducing and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
● The
2015 Paris Agreement on climate change saw countries agree to cap global
warming at "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit)
above levels measured between 1850 and 1900 – and 1.5C if possible.
Other UN Initiatives for the Climate Change
Mitigation:
● United Nations Framework
Convention Climate Change: It is the primary
multilateral treaty governing actions to combat climate change through
adaptation and mitigation efforts directed at control of emission of Green House
Gases (GHGs) that cause global warming.
● United Nations Convention
on Biological Diversity: The UNCBD is a United
Nations treaty that is responsible for the conservation of Biological Diversity
around the world.
● United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification: It is a UN treaty to
reduce the desertification of lands caused mainly by climate change.