The steady rise in atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gases blamed for climate change shows no signs of abating, a UN agency has announced.

The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide rose by about half a percent in 2005, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has said.

The most common greenhouse gas is water vapour, followed by carbon dioxide (CO2) nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane.

"There is no sign that N2O and CO2 are starting to level off," Geir Braathen, a senior scientist at the WMO told reporters.

The WMO said quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) were measured at 379.1 parts per million (ppm), up 0.53% from 377.1 ppm in 2004.

Concentrations of nitrous oxide (N2O) reached 319.2 ppm in 2005, an annual increase of 0.2%.

Levels of methane, another so-called greenhouse gas, remained stable, it said.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6114250.stm


DA Morgan