The results of the report “The Global Climate in 2011-2015” presented by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) at the Climate Summit in Marrakech (Morocco) leave no doubt: the long-term consequences of climate change are devastating for the Earth and its inhabitants.
Since we have records, the period 2011-2015 has been the warmest in history. In these 5 years the sea level has risen, the extent of Arctic ice has decreased, as well as continental glaciers and snow cover in the northern hemisphere.
The devastating effects
The WMO report examined the extreme events that we experience due to the increase in temperatures during this period of time.
At least 258,000 people died from the drought that caused climate change between 2010 and 2012 in eastern Africa and between 2013 and 2015 in southern Africa. Floods and heat waves also claimed many lives.
In terms of economic losses, Hurricane Sandy generated losses of $ 67 billion in the US, and the 2011 Asian floods incurred expenses of about $ 40 billion.
According to experts, anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are the main culprits (in 2015 they reached 400 parts per million for the first time).
“The effects of climate change have been visible on a global scale since the 1980s: global temperature rise, on land and at sea; sea level rise, and thaw. This has increased the risk of extreme events such as heat waves, drought and floods, ”says Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary General.
The period from 2011 to 2015 broke a world record, with 2015 – followed by 2014 – being the warmest, as temperatures exceeded by 0.76 ºC those of the reference period (1961-1990) and global temperatures were 1 ºC higher compared to the pre-industrial era.
