Warning: first flowering in 1,200 years

– We’ve already lost the game of glaciers. They are melting at a significant rate and it is too late to save them, says Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the United Nations Meteorological Organization, the World Meteorological Organisation, during a news conference regarding the presentation of the report on Friday.

The global average temperature over the past eight years is the highest since measurements began. Large parts of the world have been affected by droughts and floods, and sea temperatures are rising the report From the World Meteorological Organization. The consequences include billions in losses, increased food insecurity and mass migration.

Negative weather patterns will continue into 2060 regardless of whether we succeed in reversing the emissions trend or not, says Petteri Taalas.

Alarm systems are important

He also wants to highlight the importance of work:

– Cooperation between United Nations countries has proven effective when it comes to confronting the impact of climatic phenomena and extreme weather, especially when it comes to reducing deaths and economic losses.

As an example, the UN Alert System mentions the Early Warnings for All initiative, which aims to ensure that everyone, no matter where they live in the world, can access information about, for example, heavy rains and heatwaves. With the help of feedback and effective communication systems. But he points out that these need to be expanded to reach more people.

Tens of thousands of deaths in Europe

The new World Meteorological Organization report contains, in addition to the facts about melting glaciers and rising sea levels, information about human disasters that are coming in the wake of climate change. According to the report, for example, heat waves this summer in Europe killed 15,000 people, and floods in Pakistan affected more than 30 million people.

Additionally, drought destroyed massive amounts of crops in Africa and Asia, among other places, with food shortages as a result. In Somalia alone, about 1.2 million people have had to leave their homes due to drought. In 2022, the highest temperatures ever measured will also be taken atop Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps.

Animals and plants are also affected. A vivid example of this is the Japanese cherry tree, which blooms earlier and earlier. In 2021, it erupted on March 26, the earliest date since flowering began to be documented 1,200 years ago.

The report largely reflects the message of the UN climate panel IPCC as well as the European Union’s climate monitoring system Copernicus released this week.

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