From: Andy Soos, ENN
Published July 3, 2013 09:33 AM
Weather Extremes UN Report
It is hard to tell how bad or good the weather really is. One has to
look back over a period of time to perceive true changes. The world
experienced unprecedented high-impact climate extremes between 2001 and
2010 and more national temperature records were broken during that
period than in any other decade, according to a new United Nations
report. The report (The Global Climate 2001-2010, A Decade of Extremes)
says the first decade of the 21st century was the warmest for both
hemispheres and for both land and ocean temperatures since measurements
began in 1850. High temperatures were accompanied by a rapid decline in
Arctic sea ice, and an accelerating loss of the ice sheets of the
world's glaciers.
"Rising concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are changing
our climate, with far reaching implications for our environment and our
oceans, which are absorbing both carbon dioxide and heat," said Michel
Jarraud, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO), which produced the report.
Extreme floods, droughts and tropical cyclones were all experienced
across the world throughout the decade, and more than 370,000 people
died as a result of these, representing a 20 per cent increase in
casualties from the previous decade.
Floods were the most frequently experienced extreme events over the
course of the decade. Eastern Europe, India, Africa, and Australia were
particularly affected, as well as Pakistan, where 2,000 people died and
20 million were affected by floods in 2010. There were many floods in
2010 in Ladakh, central Europe, and Queensland (Australia) as well as
Arkansas in the US.
Droughts however, affected more people than any other kind of natural
disaster due to their large scale and long-lasting nature. Some of the
highest-impact and long-term droughts struck Australia, East Africa, and
the Amazon Basin, with negative environmental impacts.
In 2005, parts of the Amazon basin experienced the worst drought in 100
years. A 23 July 2006 article reported Woods Hole Research Center
results showing that the forest in its present form could survive only
three years of drought.
By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid lands
commonly known as the outback. A 2005 study by Australian and American
researchers investigated the desertification of the interior, and
suggested that one explanation was related to human settlers who arrived
about 50,000 years ago. Regular burning by these settlers could have
prevented monsoons from reaching interior Australia.
Tropical cyclones were also prominent throughout the decade, with more
than 500 cyclone-related disaster events killing nearly 170,000 people,
affecting over 250 million, and caused estimated damages of $380
billion.
The report incorporates findings from a survey of 139 national
meteorological and hydrological services and socio-economic data and
analysis from several UN agencies and partners.
In addition to analyzing global and regional temperatures, it also
charted the rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases,
finding that global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere rose by 39 per cent since the start of the industrial era in
1750, nitrous oxide concentrations rose by 20 per cent and methane
concentrations more than tripled.
"We are already seeing the effects of climate change and so we need to
take action through the use of scientifically-based climate services to
cushion the impact on our environment, our economies and our societies,"
said Mr. Jarraud.
"Decisions on flood defenses and dams, for instance, are often based on
past experience and not on the likely future. But the past climate is no
longer a sufficient guide to the future. We need to anticipate the
climate we shall have in the next 50 to 100 years,”� he said. "It's a
huge challenge but it's not a hopeless challenge if we all work
together."
For further Information see
UN Report.
Drought image via Wikipedia.
©2013. Copyright Environmental News Network To
subscribe or visit go to: http://www.enn.com
http://www.enn.com/sci-tech/article/46181
|