World Meteorological
Organization: 2010s a decade of ‘exceptional’ heat
Average
temperatures are ‘almost certain to be the highest on record.’
By KALINA
OROSCHAKOFF 12/3/19, 10:38 AM CET Updated 12/3/19, 11:28 AM CET
MADRID —
It's been a decade of "exceptional global heat, retreating ice and record
sea levels" driven by rising greenhouse gases, the World Meteorological
Organization said Tuesday.
The WMO
released its provisional statement on the state of the climate on the second
day of this year's COP25 climate summit, another warning to delegates and
politicians that drastic changes are necessary to cut emissions in line with
the Paris Agreement's goals.
Average
temperatures for the five-year (2015-2019) and 10-year (2010-2019) periods
"are almost certain to be the highest on record," the WMO said,
adding this year was on course to be the second or third warmest. Global
average temperature have risen by about 1.1 degrees Celsius since preindustrial
levels — not far off the Paris Agreement's aspirational 1.5-degree limit.
The report
includes a long list of climate warnings, including record atmospheric carbon
dioxide concentrations, accelerating sea level rise because of melting ice
sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, record ocean heat levels and degradation of
vital marine ecosystems.
"Heatwaves
and floods which used to be 'once in a century' events are becoming more
regular occurrences," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.
"Countries ranging from the Bahamas to Japan to Mozambique suffered the
effect of devastating tropical cyclones.
Wildfires swept through the Arctic and Australia.”
Another
major challenge is more erratic rainfall which "poses a threat to crop
yields and, combined with population increase, will mean considerable food
security challenges for vulnerable countries in the future,” Taalas said. The
WMO warned that climate variability and extreme weather events are key drivers
of the recent rise in global hunger.
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