Several environmental wellness experts have questioned fears about the planet’s wellbeing, arguing that global warming has plateaued and is not as bad as everyone says. However, according to the United Nations (UN), the world has warmed faster since the turn of the century than ever recorded, which has caused the pace of sea-level increase to almost double, as well as a 20-fold jump in heat-related deaths. Clearly, global warming is still putting your wellbeing at risk.
In a report examining climate trends for the beginning of the millennium, the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) commented that the period between 2000 and 2010 was the warmest for both hemispheres and for land and sea, with nearly 94% of countries logging their warmest 10 years on record. This report highlights the challenge we face as a planet; containing temperature gains to the level set by UN climate-treaty negotiators – 2-degree Celsius.
In a statement, WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud commented, ‘The decadal rate of increase between 1991-2000 and 2001-2010 was unprecedented. Rising concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are changing our climate, with far-reaching implications for our environment and our oceans.’ According to the World Bank, we’re still on course to warm by four degrees by 2100 because emissions are still rising.
In the 90s, deaths from heatwaves were fewer than 6,000, but this surged to 136,000 in the following 10-year period. The WMO explained that this is mainly because of extreme temperatures in Europe in 2003 and in Russia in 2010. While deaths from storms and floods fell, there was still 511 disasters related to tropical cyclones between 2000 and 2010, which killed 170,000 people and caused $380 billion of economic damage.
The report noted that, at 14.47 degrees Celsuis, the average global temperature for 2001-2010 was 0.21 degree warmer than 1991-2000 and 0.79 degree warmer than 1881-1890. Jarraud asserted, ‘Given that climate change is expected to lead to more frequent and intense heatwaves, we need to be prepared. Despite the significant decrease in casualties due to severe storms and flooding, the WMO report highlighted an alarming impact on health and mortality rates caused by the European and Russian heatwaves.’
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