High temperatures, heat waves, heavy rainfall... Since the beginning of this year, extreme weather has become more and more frequent around the world!
In Pakistan, flooding has inundated a third of the country's territory. According to data from Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority on the 30th, since mid-June, the floods caused by monsoon rains in the country have caused 1,162 deaths and more than 33 million people. According to preliminary estimates, the losses caused by floods in the country exceed $10 billion.
In Europe, this summer, it was hit by heat waves and droughts, and temperatures in many places hit record highs. Since June 1, more than 4,600 people have died in Spain due to hot weather, four times the number from the same period last year. In addition, while high temperatures and droughts have led to a significant increase in demand for electricity, they have had a serious impact on electricity production, further exacerbating the power shortage dilemma in Europe.
In the United States, California has also suffered a heat drought unprecedented in a century this year, and the heat wave has deterred tourists, which has seriously affected the local tourism industry. In addition, the recent severe storm weather in the Midwest of the United States has caused at least 2 deaths. Severe weather also caused power outages in more than 250,000 homes in Michigan, Illinois and Indiana.
Warming threatens the living space of human beings. The Associated Press reported on the 30th that a new study shows that the melting of "zombie ice" separated from Greenland's ice cap will raise sea levels by at least 27 centimeters, eventually leading to the disappearance of Bangladesh, New York, Miami and other countries and regions.
Floods in Pakistan
According to CCTV News, data from Pakistan's National Disaster Management Agency on the 30th showed that since mid-June, the death toll caused by monsoon rains in Pakistan has risen to 1162, and the number of injured people is 3554, and more than 33 million people have been affected. In the past 24 hours, another 36 people have died in disasters related to torrential rains and floods across Pakistan.
The data showed that torrential rains and floods damaged 5,063 kilometers of roads and 243 bridges across Pakistan, and more than 1.05 million homes collapsed or partially destroyed.
According to the Global Times quoting Agence France-Presse on August 29, Pakistan's climate change minister Shirley Rahman said on Monday that the flooding caused by record monsoon heavy rainfall has caused 1/3 of Pakistan to be submerged, which she called a "crisis of unimaginable scale".
The minister said 1/3 of Pakistan's land had been flooded and she expected the death toll to rise in many parts of the country's northern region, where dozens of rivers were still flooding and traffic was disrupted in some areas.
On the same day, Pakistan's Minister of Planning, Development and Special Projects, Ahsan Iqbal, said that according to preliminary estimates, the country's flooding caused more than $10 billion in damage. "At the moment, we have lost thousands of lives. Nearly 1 million homes were damaged... People lose their livelihoods. Iqbal said that as large areas of land were flooded, 45 percent of the country's cotton crops were destroyed, rice and fruit and vegetable crops were badly damaged, and wheat sowing in the south was also affected. Iqbal said it could take 5 years to restore and rebuild.
European heat wave
Recently, the World Meteorological Organization said that globally, July this year is one of the three hottest Julys on record, nearly 0.4 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 reference period, only slightly lower than July 2019 and slightly higher than July 2016.
This summer, Europe was hit by heat waves and droughts, with temperatures in many places reaching record highs and significantly less rain than in previous years. The data shows that Portugal, Spain, France and parts of the United Kingdom all experienced temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in July, with the United Kingdom breaking through 40 degrees Celsius for the first time. The World Meteorological Organization said that at least in parts of Europe, the trend of high temperatures and little rain will continue in August.
According to estimates released by the Carlos III Health Institute in Spain on August 26, local time, the number of deaths caused by hot weather in Spain since June 1, 2022, is about 4601, which is almost 4 times that of the same period in 2021.
About half of the 2022 deaths from heat weather in Spain occurred in July, and estimates show that about 2,223 people died in July in Spain, compared with about 1,548 deaths from heat between August 1 and 24 in the country.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the high temperature and drought have caused a serious impact on electricity production while causing a sharp increase in demand for electricity, further exacerbating the power shortage dilemma in Europe. Due to the reduction of power generation, the electricity price in many places in Europe has risen sharply recently, and the electricity price in France and Germany is close to the highest level in history. In the first week of August, electricity futures trading in major European markets next year has already exceeded 550 euros per megawatt hour, compared with less than 100 euros a year ago. Some companies fear electricity prices will soar to unprecedented levels this winter.
Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Joseph Sikrla said on Aug. 29 that EU energy ministers would meet urgently on Sept. 9 to discuss how to deal with soaring gas and electricity prices.
According to CCTV news, under the background of global warming, wildfires are frequent, glaciers are melting, power supply is tight, agricultural production is reduced, and the table closely related to people's lives has also begun to be affected. Grapes from multiple french appellations ripen prematurely this summer, and this over-ripe grape will increase the sweetness of the wine and increase the alcohol content; Due to the continuous high temperature and drought, Italian olives this year are significantly smaller than in previous years, and the taste is bitter; In Japan, more than 70 crops experienced a decline in quality or yield under the influence of high temperatures; The hot weather has also led to a reduction in wheat production in India.
"Zombie ice" melts
Warming is constantly threatening the global ecology and human living space.
The Global Times quoted the Associated Press as reporting on the 30th that a latest study shows that the melting of the "zombie ice" separated from the ice cap of Greenland will cause the sea level to rise by at least 27 centimeters, eventually leading to the disappearance of Bangladesh, New York, Miami and other countries and regions.
The researchers said that the so-called "zombie ice" refers to the ice layer that is still connected to the Greenland ice sheet, but has not been replenished by glaciers or new snowfall, and can only slowly melt the "waiting to die" ice. What is more worrying is that regardless of the climate change process and whether the temperature in the Arctic will rise, the melting of local "zombie ice" cannot be avoided. For example, researchers say that because "zombie ice" can't be replenished by glaciers or snowfall, it's like having no food to eat, and eventually "starving to death." In addition, a sea level rise of 27 cm is a global average, which will actually vary from region to region, such as higher sea level rise farther away from Greenland and lower sea level rise closer to Greenland.
The researchers expect that even if the international community takes measures such as carbon reductions to combat climate change, Greenland's ice will melt by at least 3.3%. One scientist said 1.1 million tons of ice in Greenland would melt, and if all of that meltwater were concentrated in the U.S., it would be submerged at an 11-meter depth. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time that the world has studied the correlation between the minimum melting of Greenland's ice layer and sea level rise, but the results are not optimistic.
Exactly how much sea level rise caused by melting Greenland's ice is still uncertain. Last year, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report arguing that melting Greenland's ice could lead to a 6-13 centimetre rise in sea levels by 2100. This estimate is less than half of the latest study.
In addition, the timeline of Greenland's ice melting is uncertain. One expert said that "zombie ice" does not necessarily melt away in the 21st century.
Editor-in-charge: Tactical Constant
Proofreader: Yao Yuan