Greenhouse gases reached new records in 2013

Guest post by Beth Mole

Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose more last year than any other year since 1984, according to a September 9 report by the World Meteorological Organization.

That leaves the 2013 CO2 concentration at 142 percent of preindustrial era levels. Other heat-trapping gases, methane and nitrous oxide, were also up at 253 percent and 121 percent of the pre-industrial era numbers, respectively.

In a statement, Michel Jarraud, the secretary-general of the meteorological organization, urged the world to take swift action to curb planet-warming gas emissions, which unequivocally alter climate. “We are running out of time,” he said.

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