Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt): Fuelled by ever-rising greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations and accumulated heat, the past eight years (2015-22) are on track to be the eight warmest on re cord and the year 2022 will possibly be the fifth or sixth warmest year, said the World Meteorological Department (WMO) on Sunday even as the UN annual climate conference (COP27) was inaugurated here to discuss ways to limit warming and minimise its impact through joint global action.
The WMO in its State of the Global Climate report 2022 said the global mean temperature in 2022 is currently estimated to be about 1.15 (1.02 to 1.28)° Celsius above the pre-industrial level (1850-1900 average) making it difficult to meet the goal of kee ping warming within 1.5°C goal by the end of the century.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WMO REPORT
Emission
Concentrations of the main GHG – carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide – reached record levels in 2021
Data from key monitoring stations show atmospheric levels of the three gases continue to increase in 2022
Temperature
The global average temperature in 2022 is estimated to be about 1.15 (1.02 to 1.28] degree C above the 1850-1900 average
2015 to 2022 are likely to be the eight warmest years on varmest yea record
Glaciers and ice
In the European Alps, glacier melt records were shattered in 2022
Average thickness losses of between 3 and over 4 metres were measured throughout the Alps
In Switzerland, 6% of the glacier ice volume was lost between 2021 and 2022
Arctic sea-ice extent was below the long-term (19812010) average for most of the year
Seal level rise
Global mean sea level has risen by an estimated 3.4 ± 0.3 mm per year over the 30 years (1993-2022)
The rate has doubled between 1993-2002 and 2013-2022
Sea level increased by about 5 mm between January 2021 and August 2022
The acceleration is due to increasing ice melt
The report flagged how global warming made every heatwave more intense and life-thr eatening especially for vulnerable populations, while causing an upsurge in climate change impacts as sea level rise acc elerates, European glacier melt shatters records and extreme weather causes devastation. It said the telltale signs and impacts of climate change are be coming more dramatic, underlining that the rate of sea level rise has doubled since 1993. It has risen by 10mm since January 2020 to a new record high this year. The past two and a half years alone account for 10% of the overall rise in sea level since satellite measurements started nearly 30 years ago. “We have such high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now that the lower 1.5°C of the Paris Agreement is barely within reach,” said WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas. “A rare triple-dip cooling La Niña means 2022 is likely to only be fifth or sixth warmest,” the report said. On the impact of rise in temperature, the WMO cited several examples. It includes record breaking rain in July and August that led to flooding in Pakistan. It also flagged how large parts of Europe sweltered in repeated episodes of extreme heat. The UK saw a new national record on July 19, when the temperature topped more than 400C for the first time.