2015-22 on track to be the eight warmest years on record: WMO

Source: The post is based on the article “2015-22 on track to be the eight warmest years on record: WMO” published in TOI on 7th November 2022. 

What is the News?

The State of the Global Climate report 2022 has been released by the World Meteorological Organization(WMO).

What are the key findings of the report?

Global mean temperature in 2022: The global mean temperature in 2022 is currently estimated to be about 1.15°C above the pre-industrial level (1850-1900 average). This makes it difficult to meet the goal of keeping warming within the 1.5°C goal by the end of the century.

Eight warmest years on record: Fuelled by ever-rising greenhouse gas concentrations and accumulated heat, the past eight years (2015-22) are on track to be the eight warmest on record.

– The warmest year on record so far has been 2016, when the global mean temperatures were measured to be about 1.28 degree Celsius higher than pre-industrial times.

Impact of rise in temperature: The impact of rise in temperature can be seen in 1) record breaking rain in July and August that led to flooding in Pakistan, 2) large parts of Europe sweltered in repeated episodes of extreme heat and 3) UK saw a new national record in July, when the temperature topped more than 400C for the first time.

Vulnerable population most affected: The report flagged how global warming made every heatwave more intense and life-threatening especially for vulnerable populations.

Sea Level rise: The rate of sea level rise has doubled since 1993. It has risen by 10 mm since January 2020 to a new record high this year. The past two and a half years alone account for 10% of the overall rise in sea level.