WMO Issues Dire Warning on Climate as Floods Displace Millions in West and Central Africa
HAVANA TIMES – In climate news, the World Meteorological Organization warns the globe is on track to exceed 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, likely bringing about widespread climate catastrophe.
Andrea Celeste Saulo: “2023 was the warmest year on record by a huge margin. Leading international datasets say that the first eight months of 2024 are also the warmest on record. There is an 80% chance that the global minimum surface temperature will temporarily exceed 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels at least one of the next five calendar years.”
In more climate news, severe flooding from heavy rains in West and Central Africa has affected 4 million people, with nearly 1 million people left homeless. More than 30 people are dead in northeastern Nigeria after a dam ruptured and caused floodwaters to sweep across the city of Maiduguri. Aid groups say 150,000 children are in displacement camps, with many disconnected from their families and no access to drinking water.
A record number of wildfires have been recorded across South America this year, surpassing the prior record set in 2017. Smoke recently blanketed up to 60% of the skies above Brazil, choking major cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
In Budapest, Hungary, the Danube has overflowed its banks after heavy rains pushed the river to its highest level in more than a decade. On Thursday, the European Union committed billions of euros to aid recovery efforts after the worst floods to hit Central Europe in at least two decades killed at least two dozen people and destroyed homes and infrastructure from Romania to Poland. Meanwhile, Portugal’s government has declared a “state of calamity” as more than 100 wildfires continue to rage. At least seven people have died in the fires.