The World Meteorological Organisation has emphasised how the unrelenting effects of climate change increased the risks to people’s lives and livelihoods in 2022 by bringing more drought, flooding, and heatwaves to communities.
According to the WMO’s annual report, “The State of the Global Climate 2022,” which was released on Friday, climate change continued to worsen in 2022, from mountain tops to the bottom of the ocean.
Communities on every continent were impacted by droughts, floods, and heatwaves, which cost many billions of dollars.
The amount of Antarctic sea ice decreased to its lowest level ever, while some European glaciers virtually melted through the roof.
The report shows the planetary scale changes on land, in the ocean and in the atmosphere caused by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
“While greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and the climate continues to change, populations worldwide continue to be gravely impacted by extreme weather and climate events.
“For example, in 2022, continuous drought in East Africa, record-breaking rainfall in Pakistan and record-breaking heatwaves in China and Europe affected tens of millions, drove food insecurity, boosted mass migration, and cost billions of dollars in loss and damage,” The WMO Secretary-General, Prof. Petteri Taalas, said.
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Taalas, however, said that collaboration amongst the United Nations agencies had proven to be very effective in addressing humanitarian impacts induced by extreme weather and climate events, especially in reducing associated mortality and economic losses.
“The UN Early Warnings for All Initiative aims to fill the existing capacity gap to ensure that every person on earth is covered by early warning services. At the moment, about 100 countries do not have adequate weather services in place.
“Achieving this ambitious task requires improvement of observation networks, investments in early warning, hydrological and climate service capacities,” he said.
The new WMO report is accompanied by a story map, which provides information for policy makers on how the climate change indicators are playing out, and which also shows how improved technology makes the transition to renewable energy cheaper and more accessible than ever.
In addition to climate indicators, the report focuses on impacts. Rising undernourishment has been exacerbated by the compounded effects of hydrometeorological hazards and COVID-19, as well as of protracted conflicts and violence.
Throughout the year, hazardous climate and weather-related events drove new population displacement and worsened conditions for many of the 95 million people already living in displacement at the beginning of the year, according to the report.
The report also puts a spotlight on ecosystems and the environment and shows how climate change is affecting recurring events in nature, such as when trees blossom, or birds migrate.
The WMO State of the Global Climate report was released ahead of Earth Day 2023. Its key findings echo the message of UN Secretary-General António Guterres for Earth Day.
“We have the tools, the knowledge, and the solutions. But we must pick up the pace. We need accelerated climate action with deeper, faster emissions cuts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius.
“We also need massively scaled-up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities who have done the least to cause the crisis,” Guterres said.
The WMO report follows the release of the State of the Climate in Europe report by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. It complements the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment report, which includes data up to 2020.
Dozens of experts contribute to the report, including National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and Global Data and Analysis Centres, as well as Regional Climate Centres, the World Climate Research Programme, the Global Atmosphere Watch, the Global Cryosphere Watch and Copernicus Climate Change Service operated by the ECMWF.
The UN partners include the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the UNESCO, International Organisation for Migration, the United Nations Environment Programme, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the World Food Programme.
NAN
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