The World Meteorological Organization said that 2020 was one of the hottest on record. The average temperature on Earth has reached 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and is expected to temporarily exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2024. According to the UN head, the world is “on the brink of a climate catastrophe.” This is reported in a press release on Phys.org.
According to the preliminary report on the state of the climate, 2015-2020 will be individually the hottest in the history of meteorological observations. Average temperatures over the past five years and over the last 10 years are also breaking records, indicating an acceleration in global warming. The earth could warm one additional degree Celsius in just the next 30 years.
To prevent catastrophic climate change, oil, gas and coal production must be reduced by six percent every year.
Scientists believe that in 2020, due to climate change, several large-scale natural disasters occurred at once. Wildfires have engulfed vast territories in Australia, Siberia, the west coast of the United States and South America. Floods in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia have resulted in massive population displacement and food insecurity for millions. Due to the heat in the north of Siberia, the temperature in Verkhoyansk reached 38 degrees Celsius on June 20, which is conditionally the highest known temperature anywhere north of the Arctic Circle. The Atlantic Ocean has 30 powerful storms, including 13 hurricanes, a record number.
The 2020 Final Report will be published in March 2021.