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“The state of the planet is broken, humanity is waging a war against nature,” he said. “Nature always fights back, and it does so with increasing force and fury.”
Referring to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) interim report, The State of the Global Climate 2020, released on Wednesday, he reiterated that the last decade was the hottest on record, and that the fall of the ice sheet, the melting of the permafrost, large weather fires and unprecedented hurricanes were just some of the consequences.
“Stop the looting,” Guterres added, referring to ongoing deforestation that is also fueling climate change. “And the healing begins.”
Climate policies have not been up to the challenge, Guterres said, noting that emissions in 2020 are 60% higher than in 1990. “We are heading for a temperature rise of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius (by 2100). “.
However, the secretary general sees hope for 2021 and says it is time to “build a truly global coalition towards carbon neutrality.”
This goal will require zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. More than 110 countries are already committed to carbon neutrality by this date, he said, representing more than 65% of emissions. To achieve this goal, it will be critical to promote renewable energy by setting a carbon price and phasing out funding and subsidies for fossil fuels.
“There is no vaccine for the planet,” he said of the need to build a global movement for climate action.
The past six years are the hottest six on record
The WMO state of the climate report referenced by Guterres confirms that 2020 currently ranks as the second warmest of the year to date compared to equivalent periods in the past.
The annual climate scorecard details a litany of symptoms of a warming planet: a high frequency of severe droughts, unprecedented major hurricanes, retreating sea ice, heavy rains and floods in Asia and Africa, and extensive marine heat waves.
Topping the global climate report is confirmation in 2020 that global warming is accelerating. Although 2016 remains the warmest year on record to date, it began with a very strong El Niño warm phase, through which warmer oceans raise global temperatures.
Four years later, these highs have continued, despite a cooler La Niña climate phase that began in September, and comparatively weak El Niño conditions. The global mean temperature from January to October 2020 was around 1.2 ° C above the 1850-1900 baseline.
“With 2020 on track to be one of the three warmest years on record, the past six years, 2015-2020, are likely to be the six warmest on record,” states the WMO climate report.
In the Siberian Arctic, temperatures were more than 5 degrees Celsius above average in 2020, reaching 38 degrees Celsius in Verkhoyansk in late June, tentatively the highest known temperature anywhere north of the Arctic Circle.
“We saw extreme new temperatures on land, sea and especially in the Arctic,” said WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas. “The wildfires consumed vast areas in Australia, Siberia, the west coast of the United States and South America, sending plumes of smoke circumnavigating the world.”
Despite the pandemic, greenhouse gases continue to rise
The lockdowns in place to curb the coronavirus pandemic have only resulted in a “temporary reduction in emissions” in 2020, according to the report. As a result, there will be a “virtually indistinguishable” slowdown from the rapidly increasing CO2 concentrations recorded in 2019.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations generated primarily by the burning of fossil fuels reached new highs in 2019, with levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) increasing to a greater degree since 2018 (2.6 parts per million) than the increases of the previous two years.
“Real-time data from specific locations, including Mauna Loa, Hawaii, and Cape Grim, Tasmania, indicate that CO2, CH4 and N2O levels continued to rise in 2020,” the report said.
This increase comes at a time when there should be rapid reductions in emissions according to the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 ° C.
Global warming symptoms get worse
The report also notes that sea levels have risen at a higher rate year over year due in part to the increased melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.
Meanwhile, more than 80% of the ocean area has experienced at least one marine heat wave in 2020. In addition, 43% of the ocean experienced marine heat waves that were classified as “strong”.
2019 also saw the highest ocean heat content on record.
Heavy rains and major floods affected much of Africa and Asia in 2020, especially much of the Sahel, the Greater Horn of Africa, the subcontinent of India and neighboring areas, China, Korea and Japan. With 30 named storms (as of November 17, 2020), the North Atlantic hurricane season saw the highest number of named storms.
Additionally, severe drought affected much of the interior of South America in 2020, with the worst affected areas including northern Argentina, Paraguay, and the western border areas of Brazil.
“Climate and meteorological events have triggered major population movements and severely affected vulnerable people on the move, including in the Pacific and Central America region,” the climate report said.
Published with permission from DW.
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