The United Nations has sounded an alarm over the planet's increasingly erratic water cycle, attributing the surge in extreme weather events to climate change. Last year marked a pivotal moment, with the world's rivers experiencing their driest conditions in over three decades and glaciers shedding their largest ice mass in fifty years, according to the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasized that \"water is the canary in the coal mine of climate change,\" highlighting how extreme rainfall, floods, and droughts are not only threatening ecosystems but also taking a heavy toll on lives and economies globally. The past year was the hottest on record, intensifying dry conditions and prolonging droughts while also triggering numerous devastating floods.
These extreme weather events were influenced by natural phenomena like La Niña and El Niño, but the WMO report underscores that human-induced climate change is playing an increasingly significant role. Saulo pointed out that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall, while heightened evaporation rates and soil drying exacerbate drought conditions.
The report serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for global action to mitigate climate change and adapt to its far-reaching impacts on our planet's vital water resources.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
