UN climate body declares record-hot summer for earth

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Sep 2023 16:03

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that the escalating global temperatures demand an urgent increase in efforts to prevent the planet from surpassing the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold.

A woman pushes a bicycle past a man cooling himself with a fan at a store on a hot day in Beijing, July 24, 2023 (AP)

The UN climate agency said that the globe has experienced its warmest summer on record since 1940, with estimates indicating that both July and August were approximately 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial levels.

"Earth just had its hottest three months on record... Global sea surface temperatures are at unprecedented highs for the third consecutive month and Antarctic sea ice extent remains at a record low for the time of year," the World Meteorological Organization said.

In response to the latest weather data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that the escalating global temperatures demand an urgent increase in efforts to prevent the planet from surpassing the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold.

"Our planet has just endured a season of simmering — the hottest summer on record. Climate breakdown has begun ... Leaders must turn up the heat now for climate solutions. We can still avoid the worst of climate chaos — and we don’t have a moment to lose," he said.

The temperature increase set off a series of extreme weather occurrences worldwide this summer, with recurring heatwaves intensifying destructive wildfires. Simultaneously, the elevated ocean temperatures contributed to the intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic and typhoons in the Pacific.

On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Africa to assume a role of global leadership in renewable energy in an effort to address the increasing threat of climate change.

"[My point is] making Africa a world leader in renewable energy and green growth ... We must all work together for Africa to become a renewable energy superpower," Guterres said at the Africa Climate Summit in Kenya while stressing that the global financial system must also be reformed for all resources produced and traded in Africa to generate the maximum added value to the region and thus easing transition into green energy.

G20 members, responsible for almost 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions, were called on to take up their roles in addressing the matter.