World Meteorological Organization: This year will be one of the warmest years on record. Extreme weather will exacerbate the impact of the epidemic
On December 2, local time, the World Meteorological Organization issued an interim report on the State of the Global Climate in 2020, pointing out that climate change is still continuing, and 2020 will become one of the three warmest years on record.
According to the latest report, ocean heat is at a record level in 2020, and more than 80% of the world’s oceans have experienced ocean heat waves at certain times, which will have widespread impacts on marine ecosystems that have suffered from more acidic waters due to carbon dioxide absorption.
The report shows that high-impact events such as extreme heat, wildfires and floods, as well as the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, affected millions of people, exacerbating the threat to human health, safety and economic stability from the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
Although countries have adopted blockade measures against the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continues to rise.
Given that carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for a long time, the earth will further warm up in the next few generations.
The Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization Taras stated that the global average temperature in 2020 will be about 1.2 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial (1850-1900) level.
There is at least one-in-fifth chance of a temporary rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius before 2024.
Taras said: "This year marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and welcomes all the commitments made by governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We are not on the right track yet, and more efforts are needed."
Taras also pointed out that record-breaking warm years usually coincide with strong El Niño, as was the case in 2016.
We are now experiencing the La Niña phenomenon, which has a cooling effect on global temperature, but it is not enough to contain this year's high temperature.
Despite the current conditions in La Niña, this year has seen high temperatures close to historical records, which are comparable to the previous record in 2016.
Taras also pointed out that, unfortunately, 2020 is another extraordinary year for the climate.
He said: “We have seen new extreme temperatures appearing on land, oceans, and even the Arctic. Wildfires have swallowed large areas of Australia, Siberia, the west coast of the United States and South America, and plumes of smoke have spread across the world. We have seen a record number of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. It is recorded that in November, there was an unprecedented continuous Category 4 hurricane in Central America. Floods in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia caused a large number of people to be displaced and millions of people fell into food insecurity."
The interim report on the State of the Global Climate in 2020 is based on temperature data from January to October this year. The final report will be published in March 2021. The report brings together the efforts of dozens of international organizations and experts. (Headquarters reporter Zhang Jinghao)