United Nations – The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) stated on Thursday that according to data gathered on the first half of 2016, the current year will probably be the hottest ever recorded on planet Earth.
The agency expressed its concerns as June ended and marked the fourteenth consecutive month to hold the record for hottest temperatures on both water and land.
The announcement from the United Nations body follows a statement from American authorities who also voiced their concerns earlier this week over the worrying pace at which the planet is warming up.
Moreover, data from NASA indicates that these first six months of 2016 have been over 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than late 19th Century average temperatures.
In addition to the concerns over climate change, the WMO reported that after “El Niño” finally subsided back in May, sequels of its effects are still affecting regions of the world.
Anomalies in climate trends in the U.S., South America, Europe and Asia are being recorded as temperature and precipitation levels do not meet predictions made by weather experts.
A Heated Agreement
In light of recent events and subsequent announcements, Secretary-General of the WMO Petteri Taalas urged the world to pay attention to the fast-paced phenomenon that affects our planet.
Furthermore, the French Minister of Ecology Ségolène Royal hopes to pursue more concrete actions by ratifying the global compromise to reduce global warming. Royal served as mediator besides the French Foreign Minister during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.
The Paris Agreements are still open for signature and ratification to the world, a fact reminded by Royal to the states and governments who have and have not signed the agreement as of today.
Said parties are set to meet again for discussion later this year on November for discussion on the treaty, time by which she expects to have the support needed to enforce the plan.
September 21 is the date of an extraordinary session summoned by Ban Ki-Moon himself, in which the Secretary-General of the United Nations expects to have more countries support the agreement. Enforcing the treaty would commit countries to reducing their harmful emission levels, which in turn affect the planet and contribute to the alarming rate at which it is warming.
Rising Temperatures, Rising Concerns
In their press release earlier this Thursday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) provided a comprehensive breakdown of the worrying records that our planet’s levels are breaking. Among the most alarming statistics released by the agency are the rising levels of carbon dioxide concentrations, which have increased by 4 ppm since June 2015.
Ice levels on the Arctic sea are also said to be reaching their lowest levels ever recorded for this time of the year. The effects of higher temperatures are reportedly taking its toll on coral reefs and the ecosystems that inhabit the natural structure, said the WMO and Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.
As temperatures keep rising, and the planet breaks new records, the UN looks forward to the talks in Morocco later this year to start taking concrete actions against climate change.
Source: United Nations