The World Meteorological Organization recently announced that 2015 to 2021 are recorded as the hottest years throughout history. The record is not entertaining and does not bring benefit to the global climate. Instead, the experts said that our planet is already at the edge of a new, uncharted territory.
2021 as Turning Point for Climate Change, Global Temperature Increased by 1.09 Degrees Celsius
The WMO statement was previously presented at one of the biggest global climate forums called the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference or UN COP26. Based on the examinations of the organization, greenhouse gas-induced global warming is already reaching the limits of the threshold. It will eventually result in uncontrollable repercussions and a wider climate issue for the generations to come.
In 2021, WMO observed the climate data within nine months. The gathered results show that the year has peaked to a warm year and was able to reserve its seat between the fifth and seventh hottest years recorded on the planet. The records from 2021 spiked to a vicious rate despite the occurrence of La Nina recorded. The supposed lowering of temperatures and other cooling impacts of the climate phenomenon was outmatched by the extreme heat experienced worldwide.
According to PhysOrg, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the WMO report that the year has shown how devastated the ecosystems of the planet are. The terrains, oceanic bodies, and even the remaining ice sheets are being depleted. The materialized studies and findings that came up during the COP26 conference 'must be a turning point' for both the global population and the planet, the UN authority added.
According to the collected reports by the WMO, 2021 had an increased worldwide temperature higher than the expected pre-industrial levels, measured with a rise of 1.09 degrees Celsius. In addition, the threshold maintained during the last 20 years has been exceeded for the first time. The global threshold was supposed to be at only 1 degree Celsius higher since the 19th-century industrial revolution when the burning and emission of fossil fuels were introduced and applied.
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Paris Climate Agreement Cap Must Be Maintained
The UK Meteorological Office expert and chief scientist Stephen Belcher said in the report that what happened in 2021 will push the delegates of the COP26 to exert efforts surpassing the global temperature-limiting plans slated back in the Paris climate agreement six years ago. Based on the talks last 2015, countries have agreed to maintain the increase of temperature by 2 degrees Celsius below pre-industrial levels. The UN urged the participating government bodies to have the cap lowered at 1.5 degrees if possible.
Among the greatest events that risked the year's global climate were the massive wildfires in the United States, Australia, and some regions in Siberia. The flames blazed violently, exceeding previous wildfire records and impacting North America with a rare heatwave, as well as furious rainstorms in many parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said that the coming events with extremities are possibly the new normal in this age. It may seem like an overstatement for many, but Taalas emphasized that numerous scientific studies present the huge chunk of human-induced activities fueling the catastrophic change in the planet's climate.
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