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The report published by the World Meteorological Organization gave an unfavorable balance after detailing that the concentrations of greenhouse gases, the rise in sea level, the calorific content and the acidification of the oceans broke negative records last year, a sign of worsening constant environmental. It also set 2021 as one of the seven warmest years. The UN called for quick reactions, such as stopping the consumption of fossil fuels.
This Wednesday the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) set off the alarms after publishing the report with the 2021 record. It raised concern after detailing that four key indicators to measure climate change exceeded record levels. These are the concentration of greenhouse gases, the rise in sea level, the heat content of the oceans and their acidification.
However, as one of the positive aspects, it did not set record temperatures thanks to the effect of the ‘La Niña’ phenomenon in the Pacific. Despite this, the global average was 1.11 degrees above pre-industrial levels and it was one of the seven hottest years on record.
However, there were regional records in North America and Europe. On July 9, in California’s Death Valley, 54.4°C were measured; while on August 11 it was 48.8°C in Sicily. In addition, in the United States region they suffered the Dixie fire, the largest in Californian history, which consumed 3,900 square kilometers.
The report attributes responsibilities to “human activities that are causing changes on a planetary scale in the land, the ocean and the atmosphere.” “They have harmful and long-lasting repercussions for sustainable development and ecosystems,” he adds.
Maximum sea level and temperature and concentration of gases in the atmosphere
In the period 2013-2021, the average sea level on a global scale set a new maximum after rising an average of 4.5 millimeters per year, doubling the rate of the 1993-2002 period. This is because the loss of ice masses increased. Also, the PH level is at its lowest rate in the last 26,000 years.
The temperature of the ocean reached a new maximum mark, accentuating the warming that has been progressively suffering in the last two decades. Bodies of water are the ones that bear much of the weight of warming and emissions, since they absorb about 90% of the planet’s accumulated heat and 23% of carbon dioxide.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere was also affected by unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide and methane.
The WMO Secretary General, Petteri Taalas, expressed through a statement that “the climate is changing before our eyes.” “The heat trapped by human-induced greenhouse gases will warm the planet for many generations,” he said.
The document is published days before the Davos Forum in Switzerland, where political and economic personalities will meet to discuss the steps to follow to achieve global climate goals, among other issues.
The WMO also listed extreme heat waves, wildfires, floods and other weather-related disasters around the world, noting more than $100 billion in damage.
The United Nations response
The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, reacted to the report published by the WMO and proposed five points, which are based on the use of renewable energies to be implemented to stop climate change before the consequences are irreversible.
Guterres urged to “end fossil fuel pollution and accelerate the transition to renewable energy” and stated that “time is running out”. While he called the WMO analysis “a sad litany of humanity’s failure” and asserted that “the global energy system is broken.”
The Portuguese leader urged governments to revoke subsidies for fossil fuels, which amount to a total of half a billion dollars per year, three times more than those received by natural energies.
The global energy system is broken & bringing us closer to climate catastrophe.
Fossil fuels are a dead end—environmentally & economically.
Renewables are the only path to real energy security, stable power prices & sustainable employment opportunities. https://t.co/GL9x7pYtx8 pic.twitter.com/c6cq5UiES7
— Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 18, 2022
Second, he called for expanding access to supply chains and derived raw materials for renewable technologies, which at the moment are only in the hands of powerful countries.
Within the proposal, Guterres emphasizes promoting technology transfer and lifting intellectual property in renewable technologies.
Lastly, the UN chief wants states to change their policies and promote renewable energy through accelerated solar and wind projects. He stated the need to triple public and private investments in natural sources, aiming at -at least- four billion dollars a year.
With EFE, Reuters and AP
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