Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 1st August. World Meteorological Organization on Monday reported that a summer of extreme weather in the northern hemisphere is causing major damage to people’s health and the environment as countries from the US to China battle intense heat.
WMO stated that record temperatures have been reported on land and in the sea, while wildfires have sparked devastation, caused dozens of casualties, and forced thousands to be evacuated.
The scientists from the UN agency and the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said new data showed that July was on track to be the warmest month on record.
WMO said the temperature in Xinjiang province in China reached 52.2 °C on 16 July, setting a new national record.
The US city of Phoenix also experienced 31 consecutive days of temperatures above 110 °F, roughly 43.3 °C.
It noted that sea surface temperatures have hit new records, with severe marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean and off the coast of Florida.
Many parts of the US state, including the city of Miami, have been hit by an extended, record-breaking heatwave.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said that “The extreme weather an increasingly frequent occurrence in our warming climate is having a major impact on human health, ecosystems, economies, agriculture, energy and water supplies. This underlines the increasing urgency of cutting greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as deeply as possible.”
“In addition, we have to step up efforts to help society adapt to what is unfortunately becoming the new
WMO said France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Algeria and Tunisia also reported new peaks in daytime and nighttime temperatures.
WMO noted Spain has a record temperature of 45.4°C was recorded on 18 July, while the mercury reached 48.2°C on 24 July in Sardinia, Italy. Algeria and Tunisia recorded temperatures of 48.7°C and 49.0°C, respectively, on 23 July.
The wildfires have prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents and tourists from three Greek islands – Rhodes, Evia and Corfu – since 17 July.
Fires also caused several dozen casualties in Algeria.
Hot, dry conditions were also behind an early and intense wildfire season in Canada, where over 120,000 people were forced to flee their homes.
According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre some 1.1 million hectares have burnt, compared to the 10-year average of about 800,000 hectares.
It added that smoke from the fires polluted the air, affecting millions across North America. Additionally, numerous fires have broken out within Canada’s Arctic Circle in recent days.
WMO and partners are providing forecasts and warnings to protect lives and livelihoods in line with a UN plan to ensure all people on the planet are covered by early warning systems by 2027 in response to extreme weather.
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