The extreme weather events of 2022 show the urgency to act immediately

In 2022, weather-, water- and climate-related disasters such as extreme flooding, heat, and drought have claimed many lives, affected millions of people, and cost billions of dollars, highlighting the rapid progress of climate change induced by human activity and the urgency of acting before it is too late, recently pointed out the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

In an end-2022 note, the UN agency highlighted the need to act decisively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to implement climate change adaptation policies.

Scientific measurements have made it possible to see that the last eight are the eight warmest since records exist. The persistence of a La Niña event has prevented 2022 from being the hottest year yet, but its cooling effect will be short-lived and will not reverse the long-term warming trend caused by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

According to forecasts by the UK Met Office, the average global temperature in 2023 would be between 1.08°C and 1.32°C above the pre-industrial level, very close to the target of the 1.5°C maximum that marks the Paris Agreement by the end of the century.

adaptation measures

To highlight the severity of the rise in global temperatures, the UN agency’s secretary-general cited a series of 2022 weather disasters, such as the floods in Pakistan and the prolonged drought in the Horn of Africa, which herald a humanitarian catastrophe. .

“It is imperative to improve preparedness for such extreme events and ensure that we meet the UN target of early warnings for all within the next five years,” said Petteri Taalas, referring to the adaptation measures that are needed.

WMO announced that early warnings and building resilience will be among its core priorities in 2023.

all-time highs

The agency explained that, in addition to greenhouse gases, sea level, heat content and ocean acidification are also registering all-time highs.

He specified that the rate of sea level rise has doubled since 1993, rising nearly 10 millimeters since January 2020. The last two and a half years alone account for 10% of the overall rise since satellite measurements began nearly 30 years ago.

In addition, the glaciers of the Alps presented an unprecedented melting. The Greenland ice sheet lost mass for the 26th year in a row and, for the first time, it rained instead of snowing on the summit.

The Arctic is also warmer, wetter, and stormier.

The WMO noted that while 2022 did not break global temperature records, there were a number of national heat records in many parts of the world.

In recent years, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been affected by extreme weather events related to climate change, from heavy rains to heat waves, droughts and floods. (Photo: © WMO / Bosko Hrgic)

Disasters on all continents

For example, he mentioned that India and Pakistan experienced record heat in March and April and that China had the longest and longest-lasting heat wave since national records began, as well as the second driest summer on record.

After the heat wave, record rains in July and August caused tragic flooding in Pakistan, where at least 1,700 people died and 33 million were affected, 7.9 million of whom were displaced.

In addition, large parts of Europe experienced episodes of extreme heat. The UK had a national record on July 19, when the temperature topped 40C for the first time.

In East Africa, rainfall has been below average for four consecutive seasons, triggering a humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people, devastating agriculture and killing livestock, especially in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

In South America, there were record temperatures during two consecutive heat waves in late November and early December in central and northern Argentina, southern Bolivia, central Chile, and almost all of Paraguay and Uruguay. (Fountain: UN News)