The past eight years have been the warmest in Earth’s history

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The past eight years were the hottest on record, as confirmed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), although the La Niña phenomenon persisted, temporarily mitigating the effects of global warming.

Six major international data compiled by WMO point to the same causes: “Ever-increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases and accumulated heat,” highlight the UN in a note confirming the conclusions of the European program on climate change Copernicus and those of the US Meteorological Agency (NOAA). ) and NASA, also released Thursday.

In 2022, the global average temperature will be about 1.15°C above pre-industrial levels, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Last year was the eighth year in a row that annual global temperatures were at least one degree higher than levels seen between 1850 and 1900. Of the past eight years, 2016 was the warmest year, followed by 2019 and 2020.

Temporary effect

The Paris Climate Agreement, concluded in 2015, called for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which, according to scientists, would make it possible to reduce the effects of climate change. But the World Meteorological Organization warned Thursday that “the possibility of exceeding the 1.5C threshold – temporarily – increases with time”.

Thanks to the La Niña meteorological phenomenon, which tends to lower the temperature of the oceans and which has been going on since 2020, the warming has been somewhat contained. This phenomenon could last until March, according to the World Meteorological Organization, and it would be followed by a neutral period marked by the absence of La Niña and its opposite, El Niño.

The UN agency highlighted that the impact of La Niña, on the planet as a whole, will be “short-term” and “will not reverse the long-term warming trend caused by record levels of greenhouse gases that trap heat in our region.” Atmosphere”.

In 2022, several regions will record record temperatures: the polar regions, as well as vast swaths of the Middle East, China, Central Asia and North Africa. Meanwhile, Europe had its second-hottest year on record: Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Italy surpassed the average temperatures according to the Copernicus programme.

Disasters

In 2022, WMO Director Petteri Taalas denounced, “In 2022, there will be many dramatic meteorological disasters that have caused many casualties, destroyed livelihoods and undermined access and infrastructure to health, food, energy and water.”

The leader recalled the deadly floods that swept through a third of Pakistan and warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the Horn of Africa, which has been drought-prone for several seasons. WMO also identified drier-than-normal conditions in Patagonia, South America, and southwestern North America.

‘Since the 1980s, every decade has been warmer than the previous decade’ The average temperature per decade between 2013-2022 was 1.14°C above the pre-industrial reference, compared with 1.09°C between 2011 and 2020, the government body estimated. International Committee on Climate Change (IPCC).

In the face of increasingly extreme meteorological events, Taalas insisted it was necessary to “strengthen preparedness”. In this regard, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced at COP27 a plan worth more than R$15.3 billion so that the world would be covered with early warning systems by 2027. Currently, only half of the 193 member states have these types of systems.

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