Overview | Global Extreme Weather 'Roasting' Humans
2024-08-13
This summer, many parts of the world have suffered from extreme weather conditions such as high temperatures, and it seems that there is no hottest season, only hotter. The World Meteorological Organization recently released a press release stating that the extreme heat in July affected hundreds of millions of people worldwide and triggered a chain reaction. The European Union's climate monitoring agency, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, released a report on the 8th stating that July was the second hottest month in the world since the agency began recording in 1940. The report shows that although the global average temperature in July this year was not as high as last July, the world experienced the hottest two days on record on July 22nd and 23rd. According to data cited by the World Meteorological Organization, the average temperature in Japan in July was the highest since records began in 1898, breaking the record set last year. It is expected that Japan's hot weather will continue in August. India also experienced the second hottest July on record. Data shows that many regions in the Mediterranean and Balkan Peninsula were hit by heatwaves in July, causing casualties and affecting public health. Greece, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria and other countries have all experienced their hottest July on record. Since July, under the invasion of heat waves, the demand for electricity in many European countries has surged, putting enormous pressure on the power grid, frequent power outages, and water shortages in some countries, seriously affecting people's daily lives and commercial activities. Italy continues to be affected by low precipitation and heatwaves, with severe water shortages in the southern region in recent days. The government has warned residents to stay indoors during the hottest time of the day. On August 5th, the Iranian government announced that due to extremely hot weather, public departments and banks in multiple provinces of the country reduced their working hours on August 6th and ensured uninterrupted power supply in the event of rising temperatures. In addition to being hit by heat waves in many places mentioned above, the United States is currently experiencing a "double tide of fire and water": the northeastern state of Vermont suffered a new round of floods on July 30th, nearly three weeks after Hurricane Belle caused flooding. In the western United States, due to extreme dry and hot weather and other factors, wildfires have been raging in many areas recently. Jennifer Malone, a researcher at the Yale School of Environment in the United States, believes that the number of wildfires may not be higher than before, but due to global warming, wildfires have become larger and more severe. Due to the impact of climate change, abnormal situations including extreme wildfires will continue to occur in the future. The impact of high temperature weather on human health cannot be ignored. On July 25th, UN Secretary General Guterres stated in a speech at the UN headquarters in New York regarding extreme heat that the Earth is becoming increasingly hot and dangerous for everyone around the world. It is estimated that high temperatures cause nearly 500000 deaths annually, which is approximately 30 times the number of deaths caused by tropical cyclones. A new survey report by DAK Medical Insurance Company in Germany shows that one in four Germans has health problems due to extreme heat, while the proportion of people over 60 years old is close to one third. Global warming not only seriously "tests" humanity, but also profoundly affects marine ecology. A study published by Australian researchers on the 7th shows that in the past decade, sea surface temperatures in and around the Great Barrier Reef in Australia have risen to the highest level in 400 years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States has stated that since February 2023, at least 54 countries and regions have experienced large-scale coral bleaching due to climate change causing warming of the ocean's surface waters. The Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization, Celeste Sholo, recently stated that in the past year, widespread, intense, and sustained heatwaves have swept across every continent, with at least 10 countries experiencing daily temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in more than one location. Simply adapting to climate change is not enough. Humanity needs to fundamentally solve the problem and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Guterres recently stated that extreme heat is having a profound impact on humanity and the planet, and the world must face the challenge of rising temperatures. Previously, he also stated that the need for climate action has never been more urgent, as continued temperature rise could lead to catastrophic sea level rise, destruction of tropical coral reef systems and billions of lives, and further disruption of weather patterns. The international community needs to take immediate action to address climate change. (New Society)
Edit：Yi Jing Responsible editor：Li Nian
Source：XinhuaNet
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