HE climate change keep on going. There is no corner of the planet that is free: neither the highest peaks nor the bottomless depths. The latest report of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) corresponding to the year 2022 reveals the changes caused by some observed planet-scale changes in continental areas, oceans and atmosphere. greenhouse gas record levels keeping the heat The good news is there is still hope:The situation is still reversible, but we must act now because time is running out“Warn the scientists.
Earth has just experienced eight of the hottest years on recordDespite the cooling effect of La Niña three years in a row. 2022 was the sixth hottest year on the planet from the beginning of records, in 1880. Second in Europe.
Global average temperature already exceeds pre-industrial levels by about 1.15ºC (1850-1900). Considering the terrestrial and oceanic surface, it is 14.76ºC. And up. Record levels of greenhouse gases are intensifying the heat.
The WMO report highlights some of the consequences of the global climate crisis. The rate of sea level rise has doubled since 1993an increase that scientists predict will continue to occur for thousands of years.
Other effects of climate change: the oceans are warmer and more acidic than ever before; last year Antarctic sea ice reaches record levelsAnd European glaciers melted at an unprecedented rate. Same way, heat wave, drought And excessive flood they have affected millions of people and caused billions of people to be harmed.
protect the planet
Continued drought in Africa, unprecedented heavy rains in Asia and record-breaking heat waves in Europe were some of the consequences of global warming in 2022. food insecurity, great migrations And multi-million dollar economic losses.
What can be done to rectify this situation? The WMO is clear that the only way out is to “protect and conserve the planet” by taking “climate emergency measures”. He advocates influencing the “Early Warnings for All” project, thereby “protecting the most vulnerable from possible extreme events”. It also calls for “to go”. clean energies“.
“As greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase and the climate changes, populations around the world continue to be severely affected by extreme weather and climate events,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.
As can be seen from the report, which has been attended by dozens of experts over the past year, dangerous climate and weather events triggered new mass population displacements The condition of many of the 95 million people displaced at the beginning of the year deteriorated further.
The report also highlights the impact of climate change on ecosystems and the environment, explaining how it affects recurring events in nature, such as the flowering of trees and the migration of plants or birds.
climate indicators
-Greenhouse gases. The concentration of the three main substances – carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – reached the highest levels ever observed in 2021, the last year for which consolidated global values are available. The data show that the levels of all three gases continue to rise in 2022.
-glaciers. Its average thickness decreased by more than 1.3 meters between October 2021 and October 2022. The cumulative thickness loss since 1970 is almost 30 meters. Glacier meltdown in the Alps has reached all-time highs, and for the first time in history, Switzerland has not survived a summer meltdown.
– Antarctic sea ice. It fell to the lowest level in history with 1.92 million square kilometers on February 25, 2022. It was consistently below average for the rest of the year, with record drops in June and July.
-Ocean heat content. It reached an all-time high in 2022. About 90% of the energy trapped by greenhouse gases ends up in the oceans, mitigating rising temperatures but posing a risk to marine ecosystems.
-Mean sea level. In 2022, it reached a new maximum, which is unprecedented as satellite altimeter records are available (1993). The global average sea level rise rate doubled from 2.27 mm/year in 1993-2002 to 4.62 mm/year in 2013-2022.
– Acidification of the oceans. CO2 reacts with seawater causing ‘ocean acidification’ which threatens organisms and ecosystem services. The pH of the offshore surface is at its lowest in at least 26,000 years.
Socioeconomic and environmental impacts
Drought ravaged East Africa. Precipitation has remained below average for five consecutive rainy seasons, unprecedented in the last 40 years. In January 2023, more than 20 million people faced severe food insecurity.
-Temperatures in Europe They have increased more than twice the world average over the past 30 years, more than any other continent.
Record rainfall in July and August They caused intense flooding in Pakistan that killed more than 1,700 people, affected 33 million people and displaced nearly 8 million people. Economic losses amounted to 28,000 million euros.
-Unique heat waves It affected Europe throughout the summer. In some areas, with extremely dry conditions. Between Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Portugal, there were 15,000 deaths from the heat.
China experienced the most intense heat wave and has been going on since records began, leading to the hottest summer on record. It also wrote the second driest recorded.
-Food insecurity It affected 2.3 billion people in 2021. In the same year, approximately 767.9 million people, or 9.8% of the world’s population, suffered from malnutrition. Half of these people are in Asia and a third in Africa.
– Number of internally displaced people In 2022, Somalia reached 1.2 million due to famine and drought, and more than 60,000 people crossed borders into Ethiopia and Kenya. At the same time, Somalia hosted about 35,000 refugees. In Ethiopia, there were 512,000 internal displacements associated with the drought.
-Effects on the environment they are obvious. There is an extension of the temperate zone on the Tibetan Plateau, which is the largest snow and ice reserve after the Arctic and Antarctica. The full bloom of cherry trees in Japan occurred on March 26 in 2021, the earliest recorded date in more than 1,200 years.
– Defects in leafing of plants and flying insects due to climate change are contributing to the decline of some migratory bird species, particularly those overwintering in sub-Saharan African countries.
Reference report: https://library.wmo.int/doc_num.php?explnum_id=11593
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]