The Northern Hemisphere is about to enter winter, but the extreme bad weather that occurs from time to time is worrying, and there may be more extreme bad weather this winter. The World Meteorological Organization recently issued a document saying that in 2020, the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere once again set a new record, with an annual growth rate higher than the 2011-2020 average, and this trend will continue in 2021. Global temperatures will continue to rise, and the likelihood of extreme weather events triggered by warming will continue to increase.
(Image from pixabay)
"Global warming", bringing with it a "super cold wave"
According to CCTV, the heavy rainfall brought by the "Northeast Storm" is affecting the northeastern states of the United States. Affected by flooding triggered by torrential rains, New Jersey and New York declared states of emergency. According to reports, Suffolk County, in the eastern part of Long Island, has reportedly had more than 20 car accidents due to excessive rainfall and low visibility on the road. In Union Beach, New Jersey, south of New York City, the flood trapped some vehicles, and emergency rescue workers carried out more than 10 water rescue operations from the evening of the 25th to the morning of the 26th, but fortunately there were no reports of casualties.
According to meteorological experts, this round of extreme weather mainly stems from the strong blocking of high pressure development in the westerly wind belt in mid-October, and the Arctic vortex splits and guides cold advection southwards, resulting in strong storms near Alaska, the Bering Sea, and the Aleutian Islands. In layman's terms, it is the high temperature of the air moving north, causing the cold air that was originally "locked" in the Arctic to move southward, resulting in a strong cold wave weather in North America. The entire northern hemisphere is likely to be affected by this phenomenon known as the "Arctic eruption."
Some meteorologists are worried that in the context of global warming, there will be more and more heating groups that have the ability to go north to the Arctic and "change homes" with polar cold air. In other words, a warming climate may directly lead to more and more extreme cold waves in winter.
Some extreme weather events in 2021. (Image from China Weather Network)
China's meteorological department has issued a similar warning: China's National Climate Center has reported that since July this year, the equatorial Middle East Pacific SST has continued to decline, and it is expected to enter La Niña state in October, and form a weak to moderate intensity La Niña event in the winter. Given that there was a La Niña event in the fall and winter of 2020-2021, 2021 will be the "Year of The Double La Niña".
Experts explain that in the winter when most la Niña events reach their peak, the cold air activity affecting China is more frequent than usual, and the intensity is stronger, and the temperature in most parts of central and eastern China is lower than that of the same period of the year; while the water vapor conditions in southern China will be significantly different from the same period of the year, which is not conducive to the formation of precipitation. The China Weather Network reported that the impact of the La Niña phenomenon on China should not be interpreted as a simple "colder" or "warmer", but means that colder, warmer, more waterlogged, and drier extreme weather may continue to play out.
More Americans are facing global warming — but only $1
The constant occurrence of extreme weather has also gradually changed American attitudes towards climate change. According to the American Diaspora, a new survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in collaboration with the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago shows that about 60% of respondents believe that the pace of global warming is accelerating.
As President Biden struggles to pass a major climate legislation at home, more than half (55 percent) of Americans in the polls say they hope Congress will pass legislation that will ensure the United States gets more electricity from clean energy than from coal and natural gas.
The survey found that 75 percent of Americans believe climate change is happening, and 10 percent believe it is not happening. Of those who believe that climate change exists, 54 per cent believe that climate change is caused primarily or exclusively by human activities. Overall, 59 percent of Americans believe that global warming is a very important or extremely important issue for them — 49 percent of Americans who held the same view in the 2018 polls.
54 percent of Americans say the voice of scientists has had a big impact on their views on climate change; nearly 51 percent say their views have been influenced by recent extreme weather events such as hurricanes, extreme heat, wildfires and natural disasters around the world. While Democrats are more likely than Republicans to endorse the occurrence of climate change, a majority of people in both parties (89 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans) acknowledge this fact.
The poll also assessed whether Americans were willing to pay for less climate pollution and its consequences. 52% of respondents said they would be willing to pay a carbon bill of $1 a month on their energy bills to combat climate change. But as expenses have increased, the number of respondents who have expressed support has gradually decreased.
Global Conundrum: How did you spend this winter?
Rather than paying extra for climate change, the world is generally faced with a more intuitive question of where this winter's heating money will come from.
According to CCTV, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects heating bills for U.S. consumers to grow significantly this winter due to soaring energy prices. Steve Nally, acting administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration, said: "As we survive the worst phase of the recession caused by the pandemic, the growth in energy demand overall outpaces the growth in supply, leading to higher energy prices around the world. ”
Nearly half of U.S. households rely on natural gas for heating, and the average cost for these households between October and March is expected to rise 30 percent from a year earlier to an average of about $746, according to the U.S. Department of State Department Statistics. Last winter, the average cost for households using natural gas in the United States was about $573.
About 40 percent of U.S. households depend on electricity for heating. This winter, electricity prices outpaced natural gas prices, costing each household about $1,268 in heating bills, up 6 percent from last winter. Fewer than 12 million U.S. households are dependent on heating oil or propane, but they will be hit the hardest. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said the cost of heating oil or propane is expected to increase by 54 percent and 43 percent, respectively, compared to last winter.
In Japan, winter heating also faces challenges. According to China News Network, it is expected that in the winter of 2021, the peak of japan's national electricity demand, or the shortage of supply surplus, will usher in the most severe moment in the past decade. The Japanese government has called on households and businesses to save as much energy as possible.
The situation in Europe is also terrible. According to overseas networks, due to the supply of natural gas and other energy sources, the price of electricity in Europe has soared. Wholesale electricity prices in Germany and France have risen by 36 percent and 48 percent, respectively, since the beginning of September, and are currently hovering around 160 euros per megawatt-hour, a record high, the Economist magazine said. In the UK, electricity costs as much as £385 per MWh. The website of Spain's "Economist" newspaper reported that energy prices have soared around the world, pushing up production costs and household expenses, jeopardizing economic recovery.
In China, where half of the country needs central heating, energy supplies are also under pressure in winter. According to Xinhua News Agency, the head of the heating department in many places said that in the case of rising coal prices, it will ensure the stability of residents' heating costs.
In October 2020, China Railway Harbin Bureau Group stepped up coal transportation to ensure the supply of coal for heating in northern China. (China News Network Data Chart, provided by Harbin Iron Group)
China's National Development and Reform Commission said it will make full use of all necessary means stipulated in the price law to study specific measures to intervene in coal prices, promote the return of coal prices to a reasonable range, promote the return of the coal market to rationality, ensure the safe and stable supply of energy, and ensure that the people are warm through the winter.