The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned this Wednesday that the Earth had just recorded the three hottest months in its history. According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), global sea surface temperatures have reached record highs for the third month in a row and Antarctic sea ice extent remains at historic lows for the period.
“Our planet has just endured a hot season: the hottest summer on record. Climate collapse has begun. “Scientists have long warned about what will trigger our dependence on fossil fuels,” said the UN Secretary-General.
“Rising temperatures require action. Leaders must accelerate the search for climate solutions. We can still prevent the worst of climate chaos and don’t have a moment to lose,” added António Guterres.
For his part, the Secretary General of the WMO, Petteri Taalas, stressed that it is necessary to take into account that these records occur both in temperatures and in ice melting before “the full warming effect of the El phenomenon is expressed.” child , which usually occurs in the second year after their development.
In August 1.5°C warmer than the pre-industrial average
According to the monthly climate bulletin C3S, the month of August was estimated to have been a total of 1.5°C warmer than the pre-industrial average of 1850-1900. The year so far (January to August) is the second warmest since records beganbehind 2016, when there was strong El Niño warming.
August saw the highest average monthly sea surface temperatures of any month at 20.98°C. On every day of the month, temperatures exceeded the previous record (March 2016)..
The expansion of Antarctic sea ice remained at a record low for this time of yearwith a monthly value 12% below average, by far the largest negative anomaly for August since satellite observations began in the late 1970s. Arctic sea ice extent was 10% below average, but well above the historic low reached in August 2012.
According to forecasts from the agency and the British Met Office, there is a 98% chance At least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record and a 66% chance that the temperature will temporarily be 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average in at least one of the five years.
However, they point out that this does not mean that the value of 1.5°C set in the Paris Agreement, which refers to long-term warming over many years, will be permanently exceeded.
Air pollution kills almost 7 million people every year
For its part, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) recalled that air pollution is already increasing causes more than 6.7 million premature deaths each year and significantly increases the risk of stroke, heart and lung disease, cancer and other diseases.
“Although air pollution can come from natural sources such as volcanic eruptions and dust storms, it affects most of the world’s population Man-made air pollution“, explained the director of the secretariat of the agency’s Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
Martina Otto explained that the main sources of human air pollution are energy production, transport, industry, residential heating and cooking, agriculture and waste incineration. Many of them are also sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and some pollutants are dual agents that cause air pollution and short-term warming.
The statements come on the eve of International Clean Air Day for Blue Skies, celebrated on September 7 every year, with the aim of raising awareness about the serious effects of air pollution.
99% of people breathe unhealthy air
The agency notes that air pollutants pose the greatest direct environmental health risk of our time, with 99% of the world’s population breathing unhealthy air.
However, Otto makes it clear that although almost all of us breathe polluted air, not all of us are exposed to the same levels of pollutants. “The differences in Levels of air pollution often coincide with other inequalities. Exposure at any level can have health consequences that impact quality of life and impose costs on individuals, our societies and our economies.”
The agency recalls that reducing air pollution is essential not only to improving human health, but also to improving human health Confront the triple planetary crisis climate change, loss of nature and biodiversity, pollution and waste, and to help us achieve several Sustainable Development Goals.