WMO approves a global tracker for greenhouse gas emissions
Recently the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has approved Global Tracker for monitoring Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs).
- The World Meteorological Congress has approved a new GHGs monitoring initiative, the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (GGGW). The main objective of this initiative is to help in immediate action to reduce heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.
- The initiative will bring together all space and ground-based observational systems and modeling and data assimilation facilities under a single system.
- Currently, there is no system in place for timely and widely shared international observation or modeling products of GHGs from land and space.
- GGGW will be based on Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) and its Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System. GAW was established by the World Meteorological Organization in 1989.
Four main components in GGGW:
- A comprehensive, continuous and global set of ground-based and satellite-based observations to monitor concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
- GHG emission forecasting based on activity data and process-based models.
- A set of global high-resolution ‘Earth System’ models showing the GHG cycles.
- A mechanism associated with the model and data assimilation system, which will better combine the observations with the model calculations. This will result in high precision products.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
- It was established in 1950 as an intergovernmental organization following the adoption of the WMO Convention. It traces its origins to the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873.
- Purpose: It is an organization dedicated to international cooperation and coordination on the state and behavior of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interactions with land and oceans, and the weather and climate it produces, and the distribution of water resources that result from them.
- India is also a member along with 193 member countries and territories. Its headquarters is located in Geneva (Switzerland).
Source – Down To Earth
