The World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) report "Unite with Science" recently released said that global greenhouse gas concentrations are now at record levels, climate change and the extreme weather events it triggers are reversing many past development gains, and countries' climate actions are far from meeting their emission reduction targets. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is calling on countries to take urgent and stronger action to capitalise on the opportunities presented by scientific development and technological innovation, and to strengthen the empowerment of science and technology to jointly address the climate challenge. Celeste · Sourlo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, said: "The natural, social and technological innovations have great potential to help us achieve our global climate goals. ”
Extreme weather is frequent in many places
According to the report, climate change is already causing widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere and biosphere. 2023 was the hottest year on record, with frequent extreme weather events, a trend that continues in the first half of 2024. At the same time, 2023 was the year with the lowest amount of water on the world's rivers in 33 years. Climate change is making the hydrological cycle more volatile, rising temperatures are contributing to prolonged droughts, and floods are occurring in many parts of the world.
According to a report released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union's climate monitoring agency, September this year was the second hottest September in the world and Europe since the agency began records in 1940. The average global surface temperature in September this year was 16.17 degrees Celsius, second only to September last year, the report said. The global average surface temperature in September this year is estimated to be 1.54 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900). The global average temperature over the past 12 months was the second-highest on record for any 12-month period, and 1.62 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
India reportedly reached a maximum temperature of 47.2 degrees Celsius on April 30 this year, leading to the closure of schools and affecting millions of people. Many countries in southern Africa are suffering from severe droughts, with rainfall below 20 per cent of normal levels. The hurricane season in the Caribbean was also more active than usual, with Category 5 Hurricane Beryl becoming the strongest June hurricane on record. Since the beginning of this year, extreme rainfall events have become more frequent around the world, with some places even dropping the equivalent of months of precipitation in just a few days. In September, much of Europe received above-average precipitation. North America, North Africa, northeastern Russia, eastern China, northwestern Australia, the southernmost tip of Africa and the southernmost tip of Brazil also experienced above-average precipitation.
Samantha ·, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said the risk of extreme rainfall will continue to increase as temperatures rise. Celeste · Scholo said that as temperatures continue to rise, the hydrological cycle becomes faster, and becomes more unstable and unpredictable, and flooding or drought is a growing problem for humanity.
There is an urgent need to accelerate climate action
Although countries have made some progress in controlling greenhouse gas emissions, there is still a huge gap between the scale of emission reductions corresponding to the temperature control target. The report highlights the need for urgent global mitigation measures, along with large-scale and robust adaptation actions, to effectively address climate change. These actions should be based on diverse knowledge and promote inclusive participation in order to effectively reduce the vulnerability of ecosystems and societies as a whole.
According to the Paris Agreement's temperature control target, the global average temperature increase should be limited to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and strive to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. According to scientific research, global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 28% by 2030 to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius. To meet the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius, a reduction of 42 per cent is needed. However, under current policies, there is a 60% chance that global temperatures will rise by 3 degrees Celsius this century. Global warming can be kept below 2 degrees Celsius only if all countries fully meet their emission reduction commitments.
The Compact for the Future, adopted at the UN Summit on the Future, which concluded in New York on September 23, also reaffirmed the Paris Agreement's goal of controlling temperature. Countries pledged to accelerate climate action and drive the transition to a low-carbon economy. The Compact for the Future also emphasizes the need for global cooperation, particularly in phasing out fossil fuels, accelerating the use of renewable energy and strengthening resilience to climate change, with finance, capacity-building and technology transfer playing a key role, as well as actively promoting the implementation of the Early Warning for All initiative.
Improve the ability to cope with climate change
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report highlights the importance of technology empowerment. When dealing with extreme weather, accurate and timely weather forecasts are essential to significantly reduce casualties and property damage, as well as improve emergency preparedness. Currently, global technology companies and meteorological research institutes are actively developing AI-based forecasting models. Rapid advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning will enable low-income countries with limited computing power to conduct accurate weather modelling faster and at a lower cost, the report said.
Space Earth observation technology also plays an important role in addressing climate change. With satellite imagery and real-time data with high spatial and temporal resolution, space Earth observation can not only monitor extreme weather events in real time, but also observe changes in the atmosphere, oceans, ice sheets, and land, providing detailed climate data from global to local dimensions. In particular, the report mentions that with the development of science and technology, the resolution of the latest generation of ultra-high-resolution Earth observation satellites has been increased to less than 30 centimeters per pixel, providing strong support for more accurate monitoring of environmental change.
At the same time, immersive technologies such as digital twins, virtual reality, and the metaverse are providing innovative solutions to help address the complex impacts of climate change on land, water, and socio-economic resources. For example, the city of Tampere, Finland, launched the "2040 Metaverse Vision", which simulates the city's energy consumption, traffic flow and infrastructure in real time by integrating technologies such as digital twins, artificial intelligence and virtual reality. This innovative initiative is expected to improve the efficiency of urban resource management, reduce carbon emissions, and promote a more sustainable development model.
The report stresses that in the context of scientific and technological development, strengthening international cooperation and knowledge sharing plays an important role in addressing global challenges. The report recommends practical improvements to climate change resilience, including improving the quality, availability and interoperability of data to facilitate information sharing on a global scale; increase investment in emerging technologies, particularly in climate change and resource management, to accelerate innovation; Expand education, training and capacity-building to ensure that all countries, especially developing countries, have the capacity and technological base to address global challenges.
People's Daily (October 14, 2024 Edition 08)
Source: People's Daily Online-People's Daily
Reporter: Shang Kaiyuan
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