July 2023 set to shatter all heat records, marking the advent of a “global boiling era” warns UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
WORLD DESK – UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that July 2023 will most likely “shatter records across the board, short of a mini-Ice Age.”
He emphasized the tragically obvious effects of climate change: families fleeing from flames, workers collapsing in the sweltering heat, and monsoon rains carrying away young lives.
Unprecedented Weather Patterns
In a press conference from New York, Guterres referred to the current climate scenario as “terrible.”
In Geneva, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service of the European Commission described the month’s weather as “rather remarkable and unprecedented.”
They highlighted that July has already experienced the three warmest days on record and the hottest three weeks ever.
Speaking on a Zoom conference, Carlo Buentempo, Director of Copernicus Climate Change Service, expressed his concerns about this anomaly.
He stressed that the first three weeks of July had been the hottest three-week periods ever recorded.
Buentempo also highlighted the likelihood that July would end up being the hottest month on record, owing to the significant temperature anomalies.
Record Ocean Temperatures
Another alarming fact is the record ocean temperatures, the highest ever recorded for this time of year.
This pattern has been evident since the end of April.
Chris Hewitt, WMO’s Director of Climate Services, noted that 2015 to 2022 marked the eight hottest years on record, based on a 173-year dataset, signifying “a clear and dramatic warming decade on decade” since the 1970s.
Call for Climate Action
The Secretary-General highlighted the urgent need for international action on emissions, climate adaptation, and climate financing.
According to him, “the era of global warming has ended” and “the era of global boiling has arrived.”
He pressed for the G20 countries, which account for 80% of global emissions, to take the lead in climate action and climate justice.
Net Zero Goals and Adaptation Investment
Mr. Guterres emphasized the importance of new national emissions goals from G20 members and urged all countries to aim for net zero emissions by the mid-century.
He also called for “a global surge in adaptation investment” since extreme weather is “becoming the new normal.
He urged wealthier countries to uphold their pledge to provide $100 billion per year in climate aid and fully fund the Green Climate Fund.
