In coping with more frequent extreme weather, more concerted efforts are required

BEIJING, May 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from China.org.cn on extreme weather and climate change:

Several days ago, when over 400 drones performed at a light show in Nanning, southern China’s Guangxi Province, a sudden gale followed by a thunderstorm struck. Many drones lost control and went missing, with the owner incurring about two million RMB in losses.

This, is just a tiny example of what extreme weather can do.

Recently, China’s Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao SAR sent consecutive warnings about downpours, which have affected transportation and even power and water supply, while increasing the risk of more severe natural disasters.

Across the Pacific, intense rainfall and its secondary disasters also ravaged Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and Texas in the U.S. Meanwhile, extreme heat waves are scorching countries including Vietnam, the Philippines, and India. For such extreme weather and climate, quoting UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the “human impact is clear: lives taken, livelihoods lost, economies upended.”

Many must have noticed that in recent years, extreme weather conditions that supposedly occur “once in a centennial,” seem to be far more commonplace. According to experts, the increased frequency of extreme weather is inseparable from the impact of global warming.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a report on the global climate in March, which confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record. Meanwhile, records have also been broken for ocean heat, sea level rise, Antarctic sea ice loss and glacier retreat. A piece released on the Nature website suggested that 2024 could see even more extreme weather and climate impacts than 2023.

Faced with a common global challenge, nothing positive would come out of finger-pointing or playing the blame game among countries by leveraging the climate issue as a battlefield, or cashing in on it for political gain. The only meaningful response is to join hands and tackle climate change collectively.

Fortunately, many countries have already acted. They have paid constant attention to the problem, conducted studies on it, not only seeking new solutions, but also iterating current measures to cope with climate change, along with engaging in dialogues and collaboration with other countries. International organizations like the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the WMO have also been doing their part. At COP28 in 2023, evident progress has been achieved in climate finance, and nearly 200 Parties for the first time agreed to transition away from fossil fuel, which marks the “beginning of the end.” Countries are now standing up to this cross-border challenge.

To bring extreme weather back to “once in a centennial,” the world needs to see more solidarity and concerted efforts from all parties.

China Mosaic

http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

In coping with more frequent extreme weather, more concerted efforts are required

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2024-05/10/content_117179991.htm

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