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On Wednesday, the United Nations warned countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that for at least the next four decades there will be more and more heat
On Wednesday, the United Nations warned countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that for at least the next four decades there will be more and more heat waves, floods, droughts and hurricanes, and called on regional governments to set up early warning systems.
This warning was made by the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Petteri Taalas, in an interview with EFE at the XIV International Convention on Environment and Development, which is taking place this week in Havana.
“We have to adapt to climate change, because this negative trend in weather patterns will continue until the 1960s, no matter what we do, this means we will see more heatwaves, we will see more floods, droughts and stronger hurricanes,” Taalas said.
Among these adaptation measures establishment of early warning systems in all countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, Because currently “only a part” of the countries in this region have the appropriate technology in this area.
According to WMO, he added, these systems they should serve to detect “multiple hazards”, including “meteorological, hydrological, geophysical and oceanic risks”, but they must also anticipate the impact of these phenomena on “agriculture, public safety, transportation, health care and the energy sector.”
Here he added that some countries needed better meteorological measurement systems, an area in which industrialized countries could cooperate by providing more modern technology.
“We have to improve the situation in this region, especially in the Caribbean,” added Taalas, stressing that the most vulnerable countries are the island nations of the Caribbean – due to tropical storms and rising sea levels – and Brazil due to the problem. deforestation.
General Secretary The WMO said it is “almost certain” that a global temperature record will be broken in the next five years. and added that daily historical records have already been noted recently.
Photo: Reuters
According to Taalas, scientific studies show that there is a 66 percent chance that in the next five years the temperature limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius will be exceeded in a timely manner relative to pre-industrial levels, one of the limits set by the Paris Agreement against global warming.
“Accelerating climate change” in Latin America and the Caribbean, said the WMO Secretary-General, who warned of the “growing consequences” of global warming, which are leading to human and economic losses.
With regard to climate crisis mitigation, Taalas advocated “stop using fossil fuels” and, especially in this part of the world, “stop deforestation in the Amazon” are two issues that increase CO2 levels in the atmosphere, one of the main factors of global warming.
Taalas presented the third annual WMO report on the state of the climate in Latin America and the Caribbean at the Havana Convention, which confirms that droughts, cyclones, melting glaciers and wildfires are worsening in the region.
WMO points out that this is fueling a “vicious cycle” that is accelerating global warming in a particularly vulnerable area and is calling on the region’s governments to take action to ensure that “early warning systems are strengthened and reach the communities that need them most.” “
Last year’s report recorded “78 weather, hydrological and climate hazards”, mostly storms and floods, as well as hurricanes, droughts and wildfires, which killed at least 1,153 people and cost at least $9 billion in economic damage. .
The document highlights the damage caused in 2022 by hurricanes Iona, Lisa and Yan, rainfall in Brazil’s Petropolis (killing 230 people), drought in the Paraná Plata basin (the worst since 1944), a 14-year megadrought. in Chile and forest fires in Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile (with associated CO2 emissions).
(EFE)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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