{"id":34144,"date":"2018-10-30T16:02:39","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T10:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=34144"},"modified":"2018-10-30T16:02:39","modified_gmt":"2018-10-30T10:32:39","slug":"2017-is-set-to-be-in-top-three-hottest-years-wmo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/2017-is-set-to-be-in-top-three-hottest-years-wmo\/","title":{"rendered":"2017 is set to be in top three hottest years: WMO:\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/science-environment-41859288\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2017 is set to be in top three hottest years: WMO<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Context:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its annual review, the UN says the gap between carbon cutting plans and the reductions required to keep temperature rises below 2 degrees Celsius is &#8220;alarmingly high&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new emissions gap report finds that global greenhouse emissions by 2020 &#8220;are likely to be at the high end of the range&#8221; consistent with keeping temperature rises below 2 degrees or 1.5C.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The UN has published an annual analysis of emissions every year since 2010.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), it will likely be the hottest year in the absence of the El Nino phenomenon.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the UN Climate talk, researchers from the WMO have presented their annual state of the Global Climate report.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the WMO, this year vies with 2015 to be the second or third warmest mark yet recorded<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year&#8217;s greenhouse gas bulletin produced by the WMO is based on measurements taken in 51 countries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research stations dotted around the globe measure concentrations of warming gases including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Highlight of the report:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report suggests that signatories of the Paris accord must significantly increase their ambitions in the new and updated national plans that will have to be submitted by 2020.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Solar, wind, efficient appliances, efficient passenger cars, planting more trees and preventing deforestation would more than cover the emissions gap.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The recommended actions in these areas would have a modest or net-negative cost says the report and could shave 22 gigatonnes of carbon equivalent by 2030.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The scientists argue that the long-term trend of warming driven by human activities continues unabated.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In terms of which countries as doing their fair share, the UN report says China, the EU, India and Japan are on track to meet their 2020 pledges.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Global impact of Climate Change:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two <\/span><b>Category 4 hurricanes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> made landfall in the same year in the US.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Hurricane Irma was a Category 5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> storm for the longest period on record. Rain gauges in Nederland, Texas, the largest ever recorded for a single event in the mainland US<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There were also significant flooding events with large loss of life in Sierra Leone, in Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Peru among many others.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drought and heat waves affected many parts of Africa and South America. In Somalia, more than half of cropland was impacted with herds reduced by 40-60%.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than 11 million people are experiencing severe food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>The Accumulated Cyclone Energy Index,<\/b> <b>which measures the intensity and duration of these events,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> showed its highest ever monthly values in September this year.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With UN talks on climate change now underway here in Bonn, the report is likely to reinforce a sense of urgency among many delegates.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to experts, the last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was three to five million years ago, in the mid-Pliocene Epoch. The climate then was 2-3C warmer, and sea levels were 10-20m higher due to the melting of Greenland and the West Antarctic ice sheets.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The rapid increase in methane since 2007, especially in 2014, 2015, and 2016, is different. This was not expected in the Paris agreement. Methane growth is strongest in the tropics and subtropics. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Concentrations of CO2 in the Earth&#8217;s atmosphere surged to a record high in 2016, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Researchers say a combination of human activities and the El Ni\u00f1o weather phenomenon drove CO2 to a level not seen in 800,000 years.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What is climate change?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Climate change is a long-term shift in the statistics of the weather (including its averages).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, it could show up as a change in climate normals (expected average values for temperature and precipitation) for a given place and time of year, from one decade to the next<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>EI-Nino:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">El Ni\u00f1o impacts the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by causing droughts that limit the uptake of CO2 by plants and trees.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Warming of Pacific Ocean<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Near Western coast of Peru and Ecuador.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It weakens the trade winds and changes in Southern Oscillation, thereby affects the rainfall pattern across the world.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Its impact:<\/b><b>To India<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drought condition decreases the agriculture output, leads to food inflation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Declined supply of cotton, oilseeds and sugarcane negatively affects the textile, edible oil and food processing industries respectively.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>To World<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drought situation over South East Asia and Australia hurts rice and wheat cultivation respectively.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Warm condition over Peru coast: unsuitable for Plankton population, thus bad for fishing industry. Birds migrate in search of fishes, thus less guano dropping for Fertilizer industry in Peru and Ecuador.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flood situation in South America &amp; US Midwest lead to decline in coffee-cocoa and corn-wheat production respectively.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What are greenhouse gases?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere to keep the planet warm enough to sustain life, this process is called the greenhouse effect.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a natural process and without these gases, the Earth would be too cold for humans, plants and other creatures to live.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The natural greenhouse effect exists due to the balance of the major types of greenhouse gases. However, when abnormally high levels of these gases accumulate in the air, more heat starts getting trapped and leads to the enhancement of the greenhouse effect.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What are the causes of rising emissions?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Human-caused emissions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have been increasing greenhouse levels which is raising worldwide temperatures and driving global warming.<\/span><b>Burning coal, oil and gas produces<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Cutting down forests (deforestation). <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trees help to regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. So when they are cut down, that beneficial effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> adding to the greenhouse effect.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Increasing livestock farming. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane when they digest their food.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Fertilizers containing nitrogen produce<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> nitrous oxide emissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Fluorinated gases produce<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a very strong warming effect, up to 23 000 times greater than CO<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Thankfully these are released in smaller quantities and are being phased down by EU regulations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What is Paris Agreement?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is an agreement within the UNFCCC dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020. The Paris Accord is considered as a turning point for global climate policy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What are the aims of the Paris agreement?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The central aim is to <\/span><b>strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below <\/span><b>2 degrees Celsius<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> above pre-industrial levels.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It further aims at pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The agreement aims to increase the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also aims at making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2017 is set to be in top three hottest years: WMO:\u00a0 Context: In its annual review, the UN says the gap between carbon cutting plans and the reductions required to keep temperature rises below 2 degrees Celsius is &#8220;alarmingly high&#8221;. Introduction: The new emissions gap report finds that global greenhouse emissions by 2020 &#8220;are likely&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/2017-is-set-to-be-in-top-three-hottest-years-wmo\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">2017 is set to be in top three hottest years: WMO:\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-test-1","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1703929184},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34144\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}