A report presented during COP27 brought to light yet another alarming fact regarding global warming. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the last 8 years must have been the warmest on record.
The agency, which is linked to the United Nations (UN), also highlighted that this warming results, among other things, in contributing to the frequent heat waves registered in different parts of the world.
In the summer of 2022, residents of southern Brazil were surprised by heat waves whose temperatures exceeded 40°C, with a thermal sensation close to 50°C in some locations.
The Organization also recalled that these heat waves, accompanied by periods of extreme drought and devastating floods, generated billions of dollars in damage.
Among the most alarming findings of the study are:
- Record levels of greenhouse gas concentrations;
- Global average temperature 1.15°C above the pre-industrial average;
- Glaciers in Europe with record melting;
- Record in the rate of sea level rise;
Already at the opening of COP 27, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said: “we are on the road to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator”.
On the occasion, he made an appeal for funding to the most vulnerable nations in terms of climate. He warned that it is very important for the world's two main economies – the US and China to cooperate in a financial pact around the environment.
It is worth noting that the two powers were responsible for creating the Paris Agreement, an international climate treaty that provides for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite efforts presented each year by countries, the results are still below what is necessary to avoid climate damage.
It is estimated that if the pace of environmental disruption continues as it is, by the end of this century, we will reach the level of increase of 2.5 degrees Celsius, which would be catastrophic for the planet.
In this scenario, global cooperation is essential in terms of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases, an urgent review of our consumption and eating habits and the adoption of serious and objective policies for the preservation of the environment