WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION
India heatwave kills at least 33, including election officials
India has experienced a heatwave, with at least 33 people, including election officials, dying of suspected heatstroke in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha. The heatwave is expected to continue until Saturday, as temperatures in northwestern and central India are expected to fall in the coming days. Bihar has seen the highest temperature recorded in the country at 52.9 degrees Celsius, while Uttar Pradesh has seen nine election personnel die.
Indian heatwave highlights temperature 'record' checking challenge
The swift announcement that a potentially record-breaking temperature measured this week in India could have been due to a sensor error highlights the challenges in certifying extreme heat. It found an improvised radiation shield led to a demonstrable thermal bias error for the permafrost monitor's air temperature sensor, making its reading ineligible as a record. apo/rjm/nl/db
2023-24 El Nino among five strongest on record, will continue fuelling heat in 2024: WMO
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) stated that the 2023-24 El Nino has peaked as one of the five strongest on record and will continue to impact global climate in the coming months. The UN agency highlighted that above-normal temperatures are predicted over almost all land areas between March and May. Despite a weakening trend, El Nino conditions contributed to record temperatures and extreme events globally in 2023.
World breached 1.5-degree Celsius limit for entire year for first time: European climate agency
Global mean temperature breached the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold for the first time, with the warmest January on record. El Nino and human-caused climate change contribute to the exceptional warming. Rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are necessary to prevent further temperature increase and limit climate impacts.
UN confirms Europe hit record high temperature in 2021
The World Meteorological Organisation confirmed on Tuesday that continental Europe recorded in 2021 its highest ever temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.8 Fahrenheit), and warned that new extremes were expected. "It is possible, indeed likely, that greater extremes will occur across Europe in the future," said Professor Randall Cerveny, rapporteur on climate and weather extremes for the WMO.
Loss of lives during cyclones were averted due to world-class equipment: RMC Chennai
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and other leaders of the ruling DMK have alleged that IMD has inaccuracies in its forecast. As many as 31 people lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts due to the 'historic' rainfall that occurred on December 17 and 18 leading to severe flooding in several areas.
World pinning hope on India's leadership to resolve climate crisis, says Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland
"What I am hoping for is that India will have the courage to own her position and to lead, and she can. The genius that is coming out of India, along with the other Commonwealth countries, could enable us to solve this problem," Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said. She emphasised that the world needs a "just transition", which means transitioning from fossil fuels to renewables in a fair and equitable way.
Climate change made 2011-2020 decade wetter and warmer for India: WMO
The WMO, a specialised agency of the United Nations that covers weather, climate and water resources, said it was a "wet decade" over northwest India, Pakistan, China and the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The occurrence of extreme warm days in the 2011-2020 period was approximately twice the 1961-1990 average in parts of southeast Asia, most of Europe, southern Africa, Mexico and parts of eastern Australia.
WMO report shows 2023 shattered climate records, experts highlight concerns for India
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports that 2023 has set climate records, with extreme weather causing devastation worldwide. The data until the end of October indicates that the year was about 1.40 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline. India, particularly northern regions, has experienced a rapid surge in temperatures.
Yearly heat-related deaths to see fivefold rise by mid-century, climate inaction threatening public health: Lancet report
The report, however, found few signs of the urgently needed progress, in a world still bound to fossil fuel ambitions and thus, called for "a people-centred transformation: putting health at the heart of climate action". The pace and scale of mitigation efforts continued to fall very far short of those required to safeguard people's safety, with current policies putting the world on track for a potentially catastrophic 2.7 degrees Celsius of heating by 2100, the report warned.
Upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi among critical opportunities ahead for climate action: UN chief Guterres
As the World Meteorological Organisation and the European Commission's Copernicus Climate Change Service released official data confirming that July 2023 is set to be the hottest month ever recorded in human history, UN Secretary-General Guterres said humanity is in the hot seat.
How India can equip its cities to deal with extreme rainfall events
The ongoing floods in Delhi show how heavy rainfall in the mountain areas can impact cities downstream. Several studies across cities have revealed that urban floods are caused by a combination of bad urban planning and weak urban governance.
What this year's El Nino means for wheat and global food supply
The World Meteorological Organization has declared the onset of the first El Nino event in seven years, set to develop through 2023, with the effect of climate and agricultural production raising concerns around global food prices. Local effects could be severe, leaving some facing serious social consequences, like conflict and hunger. Although the loss of crops caused by the El Nino event will be offset by positive changes in production across key producing regions, some will inevitably be impacted negatively.
A $50 billion UK investor has a heat warning for portfolios
Impax Asset Management Group Plc found that many of its portfolio companies are not aware how extreme heat can hit their valuations.
Rice soars to two-year high in Asia on El Niño drought risks
As per World Meteorological Organisation, El Nino conditions have arrived for the first time in last seven years in the tropical Pacific and is threatening drought in Southeast Asia.
Next 5 years could be hottest ever globally, warns UN weather agency
Global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, making 2023-27 the warmest five-year period ever recorded, and there is a 98% chance of at least one in the next five years beating the temperature record set in 2016, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Wednesday.
2022 fifth or sixth warmest year on record: WMO
The global mean temperature in 2022 was 1.15 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average, making it the "fifth or sixth" warmest year on record despite the La Nina conditions, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said in a report on Friday.
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