Glaciers shrank 1 meter a year in a decade: WMO

Source– This post is based on the article “Glaciers shrank 1 m a year in a decade: WMO” published in “The Hindu” on 6th December 2023.

Why in the News?

A recent report by World Meteorological Organisation ‘The Global Climate 2011-2020: A Decade of Acceleration’ highlights the impact of climate change from 2011-2020.

What re the Key highlights of the report?

1) The 2011-2020 decade, despite being the warmest recorded, saw the lowest number of deaths from extreme events. The decade marked the first since 1950 without a single short-term event causing 10,000 deaths or more.

2) Improved early warning systems, forecasting, and disaster management contributed to the decrease in casualties. India benefited from improved cyclone forecasting, enhancing preparedness and evacuation measures

3) The ozone hole visibly showed signs of recovery for the first time during this decade.

4) Glaciers globally shrank by approximately 1 meter per year on average from 2011 to 2020.
– Greenland and Antarctica lost 38% more ice from 2011 to 2020 compared to the 2001-2010 period.

5) While heatwaves were responsible for the highest number of human casualties, tropical cyclones caused the most economic damage.

6) Public and private climate finance nearly doubled during the decade. But it needed to increase by at least seven times by the end of 2011-20 to achieve climate objectives, including limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

What is WMO?

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