The world is currently experiencing a series of extreme weather events, with Greece and the Southern US enduring scorching heatwaves, while China wrestles with heavy rainfall and potential flooding. These events are not isolated, but rather indicative of a broader climate trend that scientists warn is likely to worsen.
In Greece, temperatures are soaring beyond 40 degrees Celsius, with predictions indicating this could be the longest heatwave in the country's recorded history. Kostas Lagouvardos, director of research at the National Observatory, expects the heatwave to span up to 17 days, making the upcoming weekend the hottest July weekend in 50 years. Similarly, the Southern US is grappling with extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 41 degrees Celsius, and Phoenix, Arizona, expecting temperatures up to 46 degrees.
Conversely, China is bracing for floodwaters due to substantial rainfall in cities like Shanghai and Beijing, while areas further inland are experiencing intense heat, posing a threat to the country's largest fresh water supply.
According to NASA scientists, these global weather anomalies are linked to an emerging El Nino event, associated with the warming of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Thomas Smith, an environmental geographer at the London School of Economics, suggests that the Earth is entering uncharted territory due to global warming and the first El Niño since 2018.
This summer has seen four climate records shattered: the hottest day on record, the hottest June globally, extreme marine heatwaves, and record-low Antarctic sea ice. The EU climate monitoring service, Copernicus, reported the world's hottest day ever recorded in July, with an average global temperature of 17.08C on July 6.
The average global temperature in June was 1.47C above the typical June in the pre-industrial period. Ocean temperatures have also broken records for May, June, and July, nearing the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded in 2016. In June, temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were classified as a category 5 heatwave, being between 4C and 5C above average. The area covered by sea-ice in the Antarctic is at record lows for July.
While these heatwaves persist, eastern Canada is dealing with the aftermath of heavy rainfall that has left four people missing, including two children, and thousands without power. A state of emergency has been declared in Halifax and four other locations following record rainfall and flooding.
In addition to heatwaves and torrential rains, wildfires are an escalating concern. Greece reported 52 new fires on Friday, with a total of 79 fires being tackled. Fire services spokesman Vassilios Vathrakoyannis revealed that the country would remain on high alert over the weekend due to fears of strong northerly winds igniting more fires. This mirrors Canada's ongoing battle with massive wildfires, which have triggered pollution alerts across Canada and the US.
Despite these alarming trends, Dr. Friederike Otto, a climate scientist from Imperial College London, urges against labeling the current situation a "climate collapse" or "runaway warming". She emphasizes that there is still time to secure a liveable future, but the extreme weather conditions globally serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address the climate crisis. As we enter 2024, scientists anticipate more climate records to be broken, highlighting the necessity for global climate action.
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