The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has recently issued grave caution regarding the possibility of unprecedented Unknown Global Temperature Swell with global temperature peaks in the next five years.
This warning is based on the combination of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and an impending El Niño event, which raises concerns about surpassing previous temperature milestones.
In this blog post, we will delve into the impact of El Niño on global rainfall patterns, the ramifications of rising temperatures, and the critical need to prepare for the impending heatwave.
El Niño’s Influence on Global Weather Patterns
El Niño and its counterpart, La Niña, are integral components of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system, which significantly affects global rainfall patterns.
During an El Niño event, weakened trade winds result in the dissipation of warm water towards the Americas, leading to a rise in global temperatures. Conversely, La Niña intensifies trade winds, causing warm water to accumulate near Asia and cold water to gather near the Americas, resulting in a slight decline in global temperatures.
Cooling effects from recent La Niña have occurrenced over the past three years and the upcoming El Niño is anticipated to bring a change in global temperatures.
Extreme Weather Conditions and El Niño
El Niño events are notorious for driving extreme weather conditions such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves.
For instance, during the 2014-2016 El Niño phase, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization reported that over 60 million people worldwide suffered from crop failures and food security issues.
Additionally, these events can devastate fish stocks for South American fishing communities, as marine species like squid and salmon face a shortage of nutrients.
Record-Breaking Temperatures and Their Consequences
With an astonishing 98% probability of at least one year between 2023 and 2027 becoming the hottest on record, experts express grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences of this unprecedented heat swell.
Petteri Taalas, the Secretary-General of the WMO, emphasizes the combined impact of El Niño and human-induced climate change, propelling global temperatures into uncharted territory.
This extraordinary temperature rise poses significant risks to health, food security, water resources, and the environment.
Preparing for the Heatwave
Early Warning Systems and Building Resilience Recognizing the need to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events associated with El Niño, experts are working to enhance rainfall services for climate change adaptation.
The upcoming World Meteorological Congress will provide a platform for advocating these measures. Among the top priorities is the “Early Warnings for All” Initiative, launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during COP27 in 2022.
This initiative aims to bridge gaps in early warning systems, particularly in developing countries, while connecting them to programs, alerts, and emergency response plans.
Challenges and Future Perspectives
Despite the increasing frequency of extreme weather events like the unknown global temperature swell, data from 2022 reveals that only half of the member countries of the WMO have functional systems in place to warn people and governments about imminent dangerous weather conditions.
Secretary-General Guterres stresses the WMO’s responsibility to ensure that every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems within the next five years.
However, resource-poor regions may encounter difficulties in conforming to these systems, raising concerns about their adaptability against natural hazards.
Unknown Global Temperature Swell and a Future of Amplified Climate Extremes
Climate scientist Daniel Swain suggests that climate change will lead to a rise in severe El Niño events. With a 90% probability of the upcoming El Niño persisting into early 2024, the latter half of 2023 or early 2024, the ultimate half of 2023 or early 2024 may witness the shattering of global temperature records.
Read more blogs here from New Era Renewables.
