Last seven years warmest on record, says WMO report

The last seven years have been the warmest on record and global sea-level rise accelerated since 2013, reaching a new high in 2021. A provisional report released by the World Meteorological Organisation has stated. The report has attributed the record sea-level rise to warming up and acidification of ocean waters. The provisional report titled ‘State of Global Climate 2021’, which was released in Geneva on Sunday as the COP26 conference began in Glasgow, combines inputs from multiple United Nations agencies, national meteorological and hydrological services, and scientific experts.

The provisional report draws from the latest scientific evidence to show how our planet is changing before our eyes. From the ocean depths to mountain tops, from melting glaciers to relentless extreme weather events, ecosystems and communities around the globe are being devastated. COP26 must be a turning point for people and the planet. Scientists are clear on the facts. Now leaders need to be just as clear in their actions,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. According to the WMO report, greenhouse gas concentrations reached new highs in 2020. Levels of carbon dioxide were 413.2 parts per million, methane at 1889 parts per billion (ppb) and nitrous oxide at 333.2 ppb. These levels respectively were 149 per cent, 262 per cent and 123 per cent more than pre-industrial levels. The increase has continued in 2021.

WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas said, “For the first time on record, it rained—rather than snowed—at the peak of the Greenland ice sheet. Canadian glaciers suffered rapid melting. A heatwave in Canada and adjacent parts of the USA pushed temperatures to nearly 50°C in a village in British Columbia. California’s Death Valley recorded a temperature of 54.4 °C during one of the multiple heatwaves in the southwestern USA, whilst many parts of the Mediterranean experienced record temperatures. The exceptional heat was often accompanied by devastating fires.” The report has also stated that mass loss from North American glaciers accelerated over the last two decades, nearly doubling for the period 2015-2019 as compared to 2000-2004. Referring to the exceptional heatwaves and wildfires in North America as well as floods in western Europe, the report stated, “…it was found that the heavy rainfall had been made more likely by climate change.”