The United Nations Environment Program, Water Climate Change, and the 2024 Warm Warmest Year on Record (EBOOK), by Albert van Dijk
The secretary general of the United Nations has said that we are on a planetary tightrope. Either leaders close the emissions gap or we are hurtling towards climate disaster, with the poorest and most vulnerable suffering the most. The time has come for action.
Securing financial resources is one of the challenges. The United Nations Environment Program has an estimate of the amount of money that is missing for climate change adaptation.
The team conducted the report and was led by ANU professor Albert van Dijk. The report shows that the year 2024 was the warmest year on record for nearly 4 billion people in more than 100 countries, and that the air temperatures over the Earth were 2.2 degrees warmer than they were at the start of the Industrial Revolution.
Changes in the water cycle led to impaired shipping routes, and disrupted hydropower generation in some regions, according to the study. We need to prepare for the inevitable more severe events. That may mean adopting stronger flood defenses, developing new food production systems and more drought-resistant water supply networks,” suggests Van Dijk.
The research states that the sea-surface temperatures rose as a consequence, leading to increased precipitation in the south and an increase in tropical storms. Valencia in Spain was subject to extremely high levels of rain because of global warming. Widespread flash floods occurred in Afghanistan and Pakistan, while rising levels in the Yangtze and Pearl rivers in southern China damaged rice crops.
The records of rain are being broken more and more. In the 20th century, the monthly rainfall totals were achieved 27 percent more frequently than at the beginning, whereas the daily rainfall records were achieved 52 percent more frequently. Record lows were 38 percent more frequent, so we are seeing worse extremes on both sides,” says Van Dijk.
The data collected from thousands of ground and satellite stations is analyzed by the report authors to provide insight on critical water variables.
A UN Secretary General Declares We Are Nearing the End of What We Thought Was a Safe Zone for Humanity : A Physical Reality and a Symbolic Shock
Gail Whiteman, a social scientist who studies climate risks at the University of Exeter,UK described it as both a physical reality and a symbolic shock. “We are reaching the end of what we thought was a safe zone for humanity.”
In a prepared statement, the UN secretary- general said that individual years pushing past the 1.5 degree limit are not meant to mean that the long-term goal is shot. “It means we need to fight even harder to get on track. … Leaders must act — now.”
