Urgency of climate action highlighted for U.N. Summit preparatory meeting

Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are still rising. Carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere and ocean for centuries, and so will continue to drive temperature increase and ocean acidification in the future. “The last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of carbon dioxide was 3 to 5 million years ago when the temperature was 2-3°C warmer and sea level was 10-20 meters higher than now,” said Mr Taalas. The four warmest years on record were in the past four years, and we are on track for 2015-2019 to be the warmest five years on record. The warming trend continues unabated so far in 2019 and the months January to May were the third warmest such period on record . May 2019 Antarctic sea ice extent was the smallest on record, and Arctic sea ice extent was the second smallest on record, according to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center . Heatwaves and high temperatures continue to increase in frequency and intensity across the globe, with many new temperature records in both hemispheres. The unusually early heatwave in Europe – with temperatures in France and Spain exceeding 40°C - is just the latest in a series of extreme weather events. Temperatures have topped 50°C in India, Pakistan and parts of the Middle East in recent weeks. The delayed arrival of the southwest Monsoon has strained water resources, including in Chennai, India’s sixth largest city. Drought has triggered food insecurity in the Greater Horn of Africa, whilst southeast Africa is still recovering from devastating tropical cyclones earlier this year which claimed more than 1 000 lives in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Hundreds of the world’s leading political figures, including ministers, as well as representatives of business, local authorities, civil society, youth and the UN system, and climate action experts are expected to gather in the capital of the United Arab Emirates for the stock-taking meeting, which will be attended by UN Secretary-General Guterres.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Meteorological Organization.

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