A report by the European Union Climate Monitoring Agency shows that July 21 was the hottest day on record in the world. The global daily average temperature reached 17.09 degrees Celsius that day, 0.01 degrees Celsius higher than the record set on July 6 last year. Just one day later, the agency's monitoring showed that July 22 surpassed the 21st and became the "hottest day."
In a heat wave, the earth spent its "hottest day."
According to Xinhua News Agency, a report from the European Union Climate Monitoring Agency showed that July 21 was the hottest day on record in the world. The global daily average temperature reached 17.09 degrees Celsius that day, 0.01 degrees Celsius higher than the record set on July 6 last year. Just one day later, the agency's monitoring showed that July 22 surpassed the 21st and became the "hottest day."
From June 2023 to June this year, the global average monthly temperature has hit the highest record for the same period for 13 consecutive months. Some experts predict that 2024 may "crush" 2023 and become the "hottest year."
High temperatures, heavy rains, floods...human beings and extreme weather events may be starting a long confrontation. Is the world ready for this?
Fatal accident caused by high temperature
Death Valley National Park in California, USA, is located in the desert area. On weekdays, tourists like to line up and take photos in front of a sign showing real-time temperature in the park. Because this is the "lowest, hottest and driest place" in the entire North American continent.
Global average surface temperature (℃) trend chart. Picture source: gj
On July 7, local time, the temperature in Death Valley National Park reached as high as 53.3 degrees Celsius, and tragedy happened. A motorcyclist visiting the area died of heatstroke. Park managers stated that when the temperature exceeds 48.8 degrees Celsius, the ambulance helicopter cannot fly safely and therefore cannot provide timely rescue.
When this death occurred, the United States was experiencing a "large-scale extreme heat wave." The National Weather Service says about 30 million people are under heat warnings.
The scorching sun scorches the earth, and people's lives and work are severely tested. In the Houston area, a 64-year-old woman suffered from high temperatures in her home without power and died after being taken to the hospital. In South Florida, children who are used to playing outdoors are also having to go out less frequently.
Wildfires have been sparked in many parts of the United States under the combined effects of strong winds and dry weather. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there are currently about 69 large active wildfires in the western United States, including 24 in Oregon and 9 in Arizona.
"High fever mode" has been activated in many places
In the past month or so, "high fever mode" has been activated in many places around the world.
The Italian island of Sicily is famous for its pleasant climate. However, the area has been hit by rare high temperatures in recent days, causing lakes to dry up and water shortages. Sicily declared a state of emergency in February due to drought and implemented water restrictions. More than 1 million people are under water rationing, with some communities forced to reduce water consumption by up to 45%, and most areas cut off water supplies at night.
On July 21, people around the world dealt with high temperatures. Source: gj
Croatia welcomed hundreds of thousands of tourists to the country last week to escape the summer heat. Tourists are trying to escape the heat by jumping into the sea as sea temperatures hit record highs in Croatia.
In the Middle East, the highest temperatures in many countries and regions have exceeded 50 degrees Celsius. Sustained high temperatures not only endanger the health of local people, but also double the pressure on the already overwhelmed power systems in the Middle East.
According to Xinhua News Agency, many citizens in Baghdad, Iraq, have reduced their daytime activities to avoid the heat wave. Citizen Hassan said: "Everything feels like it's boiling when I go out. I can fry a raw egg outdoors in a few minutes. We try to reduce unnecessary going out, but there are frequent power outages at home, which is really unbearable."
The international community needs to work together to solve the problem.
In recent years, every summer, the above-mentioned familiar scenes continue to be played out around the world. Climate change is considered to be one of the main factors behind these extreme weather events.The World Meteorological Organization recently stated that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
"Climate refugees" are becoming more of a concern. Statistics show that throughout 2023, more than 20 million people around the world will be forced to migrate due to climate reasons. A report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is even more worrying. Climate change has even acted as a "disaster multiplier", leading to more conflicts caused by poverty and competition for resources.
United Nations Secretary-General Guterres calls the fight against climate change "a battle of life and death for mankind." How should people respond?
In response to climate change, there are still several key issues that need to be jointly resolved by the international community. There are huge differences in the ability of countries to cope with climate change, and behind this lies a huge gap in development levels. As China has pointed out before, the most fundamental way to block the transmission of climate change to security risks is to start from development and help developing countries bridge the development gap and improve climate resilience and response capabilities.
In the face of increasingly frequent and unpredictable extreme weather events, there is really not much time left for mankind. Produced by
Written by Deep Sea Zone Studio
Written by Wu Yuzhen Zhang Xiaoan Edited by
Deep Sea Salt
