interface news reporter |
interface news editor | Cai Xingzhuo
In 2023, the earth has experienced many major climate events. On February 19, 2023 local time, heavy rain occurred in the northern coastal area of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. On March 31, many states in the southern and midwestern United States were hit by tornadoes. Fire activity began in Canada at the end of April, and the number of wildfires has reached a record high, affecting tens of thousands of people. On August 8, a rare fire broke out in Maui, Hawaii, USA. In September, Hurricane Daniel hit Libya and caused flooding. On November 30, the World Meteorological Organization announced that 2023 will be the hottest year in human history.
As the climate crisis spreads around the world, has "extreme" become the new normal for the earth? With photos from around the world, we look back on a year of extreme weather and the people who lived through it.
On February 21, 2023 local time, an aerial view of a landslide after heavy rains in the Barado Sahi district of San Sebastian, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Rescue workers in southeastern Brazil scrambled to find survivors among dozens of people still missing on February 22 as record rains caused floods and mudslides that killed at least 48 people. Around the popular seaside city of São Sebastião, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Sao Paulo, about 680 millimeters (26 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours, more than twice the expected monthly rainfall.
html On March 14, a man walked on dry and cracked ground in the Bergueda region of Spain. Water levels in Catalonia's Baells reservoir have dropped to their lowest levels since 1990 due to extreme drought.
html On April 2, Arkansas, USA, was hit by a tornado. The roofs of houses were ripped off and the ground was in a mess.
html On April 5, in Tirano, Italy, in order to protect the apple trees from the impact of late frost, after the apple trees were artificially watered by sprinklers, the apple trees were covered with a thin layer of ice. A belated blast of polar air from Norway this week is posing a threat to climate-cheated crops that are waking up earlier than usual and are increasingly exposed to the effects of climate change.
html On May 25, in Conselice, Italy, heavy rain caused flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region. Italian Red Cross Special Forces (OPSA) and firefighters rescuers searched for and helped residents trapped in their homes. The previous week, the Emilia-Romagna region suffered severe flooding, causing widespread damage and killing more than a dozen people.
html On June 4, in Quebec, Canada, local wildfires spread and thick smoke billowed.
June 22, Patna, Bihar, India, a dog swims in the Ganges River near the Loknayak Jai Prakash Setu Bridge. Scientists estimate that climate change has made extreme heat in India 30 times more likely. The World Bank says India may be one of the first places in the world where high temperatures exceed the limits of human survival.
html On June 28, in Toronto, Canada, smoke from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia enveloped the land at sunset.
html On July 9, farmers harvest rice in the rice fields in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has warned that South Africa, Central America, East Asia and Indonesia are at risk of extreme drought due to El Niño.
html On July 11, in Tokyo, Japan, the local area encountered hot weather, and citizens enjoyed the coolness under the mist. According to reports, scientists from the World Meteorological Organization said that preliminary data show that the week starting on July 3 was the hottest week on record globally, and as the impact of El Niño gradually emerges, global temperatures are expected to rise further. .
html On July 19, in Athens, Greece, a wildfire broke out in nearby New Peramos. A firefighter tried to control the fire. As wildfires rage, health warnings are issued in parts of Asia, Europe and North America, and extreme heat is expected around the world. Firefighters battled blazes in parts of Greece and the Canary Islands, Spain issued a heat warning and some children in Italy's Sardinia were told not to participate in sports activities.
html On July 26, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Norway, and Turkey conducted the third national Arctic scientific expedition, taking aerial photos of the glaciers (78 degrees north latitude) of Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Scientists study climate change by watching glaciers melt. The Arctic scientific expedition began in July, which was the hottest month on record. The data received showed that when comparing the average sea ice distribution for the months of 2022 and 2023, scientists noticed a decrease in temperatures of approximately 3%.
html July 26, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The southwestern region of the United States has recently suffered from a continuous heat wave. Phoenix, the capital of Arizona (also known as the Phoenix City), has had a daily maximum temperature of over 43 degrees Celsius for 27 consecutive days. Pictured is a cactus during a heat wave.
html On August 12, houses and buildings were burned down after a fire in Maui, Hawaii, USA.
html On September 15, a drone light show was staged in New York, USA, to call attention to the Amazon rainforest and climate change.
html On September 17, fatal flash floods occurred in Derna, Libya, and the rescue team was assisting in the rescue work. A tsunami-sized flash flood hits Derna, killing thousands.
html On September 24, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, under high temperatures, the street thermometer showed the temperature was 40 degrees Celsius.
html On September 27, in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, the Amazon rainforest suffered a rare drought in a century, and a large number of fish died. The water level of local rivers is approaching historical lows, causing waterway transportation to be blocked, and about 500,000 people may be affected.
On November 10, in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, wildlife experts from the non-profit organization Picchio Wildlife Research Center used antennas to track the location of bears. Thousands of bears are shot and killed every year in Japan, which has become a growing problem. Migration from rural areas and Japan's aging society, coupled with climate change that affects bears' feeding and hibernation times, are driving more and more hungry animals to towns.
On December 1, fishermen were selling fish in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. According to relevant associations, climate change has significantly changed the fishing patterns of fishermen, forcing them to travel further afield to fish. Climate change has caused unpredictable changes in currents, temperatures and wind directions, making fishing more difficult.
On December 4, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, people passed by the pollution chamber during the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The cabin air quality is consistent with New Delhi, India.
*Image source: Visual China, icphoto
