There was a locusts’ attack in Pakistan and records of heavy rains were broken in many parts of the country including Karachi. Forest fires continue in Australia and California, and the Arctic’s permanent ice is at an all-time low.
All of this was reported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in a report at the end of the year. Hundreds of meteorologists and other organizations around the world have presented their observations and research in this regard. After 2016 and 2019, the year 2020 has been declared the hottest year in human history. That is, the global average temperature has risen to 1.2 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial revolution.
“Despite La Nina, global temperatures have not dropped this year, and we have noticed unusual heatwaves,” said Petrie Tlass, head of the reporting team. Glaciers have even been seen melting in the Norway (Svalbard).
Interestingly, the entire decade from 2011 to 2020 was also the hottest in history, which is also the summary of this report. Although vehicles and factories were closed due to the lockdown, a new record has been set for the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It is feared that by 2024, the average pre-industrial temperature will reach 1.5 degrees Celsius.
According to conservative estimates, weather change and climate change have killed hundreds of people this year and forced millions to flee their homes temporarily or permanently. Australia’s fire has burned 33 people and a billion animals to ashes, while hundreds of people living far away could not escape the smoke and suffocation.
A California fire in October killed 43 people, and South Africa’s largest lake, the Pentanel, has been on fire for months. Then came the great cyclones and storms in the world’s oceans, and in the United States a hurricane named Lara killed 27 people. In November, two hurricanes appeared ten days apart, killing dozens.
August is the wettest month in Pakistan. Karachi received 231 mm of rain on August 28, which is also a record one day. At the same time, locusts in Sindh and Balochistan caused extraordinary damage to crops.
However, after this report, experts have said that the coming months and years could be more dangerous.