Perspective: Climate crisisGlobal Temperatures Rising More Quickly, Warns UN
Sea-level rise, ice loss, extreme weather and other effects of climate change are increasing, according to the United Nations’ weather agency. The period from 2015 to the end of 2019 is likely to be the warmest five-year period on record globally, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said. Last year there was the largest number of tropical cyclones of any year since 2000 and large parts of Africa, central America, Brazil, the Caribbean and Australia have experienced more frequent droughts since 2015.
Sea-level rise, ice loss, extreme weather and other effects of climate change are increasing, according to the United Nations’ weather agency.
The period from 2015 to the end of 2019 is likely to be the warmest five-year period on record globally, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a report issued to coincide with a UN climate summit in New York today. About 75 countries are expected to make new pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions at the meeting but some of the biggest emitters, including the United States, China, India and the European Union, are unlikely to make significant new commitments.
Ben Webster writes in The Times that the agency said that the global average temperature had increased by 1.1C since the pre-industrial period and by 0.2C compared with 2011-15. Countries would need to commit to a five-fold collective increase in their targets to reduce emissions to meet the goal set under the Paris agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5C, the report said.
The average annual increase in sea levels rose from 3mm between 1997 and 2006 to 4mm in 2007-16. The amount of sea ice in the Arctic in summer has fallen by 12 per cent per decade during the past 40 years.
Last year there was the largest number of tropical cyclones of any year since 2000 and large parts of Africa, central America, Brazil, the Caribbean and Australia have experienced more frequent droughts since 2015.
