2020 set to be one of the warmest years on record
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2020 is set to be the third warmest year on record after 2016 and 2019, says the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) annual climate report released on Wednesday. The report which consists of data from January to October has a long list of natural disasters and extreme weathers experienced in this period.
Record warm years usually coincide with La Nina effect which acts as a natural air conditioning and cools the earth. But this year, despite the La Nina effect the heat could not be restrained. Though the emissions reduced this year in the lockdown season, there is a record surge in the concentration of greenhouse gases.
The most notable warmth was recorded in Siberian Arctic where the temperature were 5C above average.
The rapid heat experienced this year has had repercussions all over the world in the form of extreme weathers, rampant wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, floods etc forcing many people to leave their homes and some to die. The wildfires in US and Australia that burned million acres of land and killed about a billion animals according the Australian Parliament, back to back typhoons in Philippines etc are only a few examples.
Petteri Taalas the Secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization said that there is now a one in five chance of average global temperature exceeding the pre-industrial level by at least 1.5 degree Celsius by 2024.
The recent annual report of WMO also points at the accelerating rate at which oceans are warming up contributing to an increase in sea level. These findings also throw light on how significant it is for each country to accelerate their actions towards a zero-carbon world.