Why extreme weather "once in a hundred years" becomes more and more common
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More than 5 million deaths worldwide each year are related to unusually cold or hot weather caused by climate change.
As global warming intensifies, this trend may worsen.
The easiest way to reduce the risk of further temperature fluctuations is to reduce fossil fuel emissions and stop deforestation.
Another extreme heat wave is sweeping across the west coast of the United States.
On July 9, local time, the temperature in Death Valley National Park in the United States reached an astonishing 130 degrees Fahrenheit (about 54.4 degrees Celsius).
Just over 10 days ago, North America, which has always had a mild climate, just experienced a rare heat wave, and the highest temperature in many places soared above 40 degrees Celsius.
Hundreds of people died in the heat in the United States and Canada.
In February of this year, the blizzard and low temperature brought by the winter storm "Uri" caused dozens of deaths in the United States...
Not only in North America, this year, temperatures in many parts of the world have been like riding on a "roller coaster", the weather has been "hot and cold", and record-setting cold waves, blizzards and high temperatures have appeared frequently.
What are the reasons for the increasing frequency of extreme weather?
Will this climate pattern become the norm, and how should mankind respond?
One
Death Valley National Park is located along the border between California and Nevada.
Prior to June 17, it had just ushered in a high temperature of 54 degrees Celsius.
Historically, the highest temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit (about 56.7 degrees Celsius) measured in Death Valley National Park on July 10, 1913 was included in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In Canada, at the end of last month, Litton, a small town in southern British Columbia, set a record for the highest temperature in Canadian history at 49.6 degrees Celsius.
At this time in previous years, the highest temperature in this mountainous town was generally around 25 degrees Celsius.
Lytton, located near 50 degrees north latitude, broke the Canadian national record at 46.6, 47.9 and 49.6 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days from the 27th to the 29th of last month.
Similarly, in the three days from June 26 to 28, the highest temperature in Portland, Oregon, in the northwestern United States, also set consecutive records in the city-42.2, 44.4, and 46.1 degrees Celsius.
According to data released by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on July 9, June this year was the hottest month among the 127 years with meteorological records in the United States.
Both the West Coast and the East Coast suffered record heat waves this month.
In this regard, Christis, a meteorologist at the British Meteorological Service, pointed out that if there is no human influence, it is almost impossible for the United States and Canada to experience such a high temperature, and it will not be so hot in June.
In the past, the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada only experienced extreme high temperatures for many years without human-induced climate change, but today extreme weather may occur once every 15 years or so.
two
Not only in North America, but the entire high latitudes of the northern hemisphere are experiencing extreme weather.
According to reports, Moscow in Russia (34.8 degrees Celsius), Helsinki in Finland (31.7 degrees Celsius), Belarus and Estonia also broke their respective June high temperature records.
Even Siberia experienced heat waves, which reduced the amount of sea ice in the marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean to its lowest level in a year.
The town of Oymyakon in Russia is considered to be the coldest inhabited place on earth. The high temperature in June reached an all-time high of 31.6 degrees Celsius.
A few days ago, some media reported that extreme high temperature weather occurred in many parts of Kuwait.
Someone used an outdoor thermometer to measure the temperature in the shade of the street to be 54 degrees Celsius, and the highest temperature under the sun even reached 73 degrees Celsius, and going out was like stepping on a teppanyaki.
The local meteorological department predicts that the high temperature in Kuwait will continue and reach the highest level in the whole year at the end of July.
According to Greek media reports, in July, the highest temperature in many parts of Greece reached more than 40 degrees Celsius.
Compared with the high temperatures in the northern hemisphere, Chile in the southern hemisphere also experienced a series of extreme weather events in June, with waves, tornadoes and winter heat waves hitting one after another.
Despite the "ice and fire", in the eyes of scholars, there is a common culprit behind them-climate change.
Raul Cordero, a climatologist at the University of Santiago in Chile, believes: "Unfortunately, climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and intense. Among them, there are not only heat waves, tornadoes, droughts, but also storms. Extreme storm at sea."
three
The extreme weather of the past "once in decades" or even "once in a hundred years" is becoming more and more common.
According to data from the World Meteorological Organization, 19 of the hottest 20 years on record on earth occurred in the 21st century.
Recently, a new international study published in the British journal "The Lancet Planet Health" pointed out that more than 5 million deaths worldwide each year are related to unusually cold or hot weather caused by climate change.
Globally, 9.4% of deaths each year can be attributed to "unsuitable" temperatures.
The authors of the study said that this trend is expected to worsen as global warming intensifies.
Climate change has an irreversible impact on human life.
Affected by global warming, the rate of warming in the Arctic is twice that of the rest of the world.
A large number of glaciers melted, sea ice melted, and Arctic sea ice reached the second lowest in history last autumn.
In this regard, the fifth assessment report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pointed out that since the 1950s, human activities have caused more than half of global warming.
Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are very likely to be the main cause of global warming.
The solution is not without.
In the opinion of most scientists, the easiest way to reduce the risk of further temperature fluctuations is to reduce fossil fuel emissions and stop deforestation.
In 2015, the "Paris Agreement" became the second legally binding global climate agreement after the "Kyoto Protocol", and it has made arrangements for the global response to climate change after 2020.
The goal is to control the global average temperature rise within 2 degrees Celsius from the pre-industrial level by the end of the 21st century, and work hard to control the temperature rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Responding to climate change is the common cause of all mankind, and getting rid of the impact of global climate change is even more hindrance and long-term.
To improve the climate resilience of the whole society and slow down future climate change, emission reduction is a permanent solution.
Zhao Xiaozhan
Zhao Xiaozhan