Just a decade back, climate change was the least of anyone’s problems. There were no sudden changes in the weather and no frequent natural disasters.
But, the recent years have been a constant reminder of the fact that as climate change continues, these changes bring forth devastating effects like uncontrollable wildfires that turn acres and acres of forest into haunting graveyards and heatwaves that go beyond the normal0 temperatures.
The State of Climate Report
The report compiled under the National Centers for Environmental Information‘s wing draws the picture of climate change and studies its effects like the increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, ocean conditions, and extreme weather changes. The State of Climate Report for the year 2021 stated that the world is evolving right before us, and unfortunately, this is something everyone agrees with.
From people living in the south to the people living in the north, everyone has faced their fair share of environmental changes that indicate that climate change and its effects are worsening as time goes by. The report also suggested that the average temperature recorded from 2002 shows that it is to increase by 1C above pre-industrial levels for the first time ever.
And that’s not all! The report also showed evidence that sea levels have reached new highs and these figures are being released by WMO for the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow.
The study has also shown that the past seven years, including this year, are going to be labeled as the warmest because the greenhouse gases have reached a record concentration in the environment.
The New Normal
Professor Petteri Taalas sheds light on the fact that this extreme weather is now “the new normal” meaning that these effects are only going to continue unless there are policies made and changes implemented which would tackle this rising threat.
Some of these devastating effects mentioned by Prof Taalas include:
- Rain recorded for the first time on the peak of the Greenland ice sheet;
- Heatwave recorded in Canada going up to 50 degrees celsius;
- Death Valley, California, set a new record of temperature reaching up to 54.4 degrees celsius;
- China faced heavy rainfall which is said to be months’ worth, causing flooding; and
- Flooding in multiple parts of Europe leading to loss of lives and severe economic setbacks.
Scientists have been constantly shedding light on the importance of climate change and it is high time that the states of the world come together to fight it.