UN released its provisional ‘2020 State of the Global Climate Report’

United Nations (UN) recently released its provisional 2020 State of the Global Climate Report. In its report, it has said that the year 2020 is one of the three warmest year recorded ever. UN further says, the warmness could even top the earlier record that was set in 2016.

Highlights

• The United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has further said,  past six years, that is year starting from 2015 to 2020, will make up all six of the hottest years since modern recording started in 1850.
• The average global temperature will be about 1.2 degree Celsius  above the pre-industrial level.
• The report says, there is at least a one in five chance of it to exceed 1.5 degree Celsius by 2024.
• The WMO also said, 2020 seemed to be the second-hottest year ever.

Background

• The Paris Agreement on climate change 2015 seeks to cap the global warming below two degrees Celsius. This limit is above the pre-industrial that is 1850-1900 level.
• Further, the countries would make the efforts to limit the increase at 1.5 C.

Un report on Wildfires and flooding

The report highlights that the year 2020 observed extreme temperatures on land, sea and especially in the Arctic. It further states, Wildfires disturbed a vast areas in Australia, Siberia, the US West Coast and South America. This sent the plumes of smoke around the globe. It also highlights that, Flooding in Africa and southeast Asia had led to massive population displacement. This also undermined food security for millions.

Reasons highlighted by the report

The report says, the Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the main cause of climate change. It keeps on hitting the new record highs. The scenario did not lasted in the 2020 even though several measures and lockdowns were taken to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. As per the report, it was expected that, the annual impact of the coronavirus crisis will drop the carbon emissions by 4.2 to 7.5 percent. But, the CO2 remains in the atmosphere for centuries. Thus, the effect of the pandemic on it is negligible.