Heatwave Havoc: Record breaking heatwaves cause 15,000 deaths in Europe

Record-breaking heatwaves over last few years, affecting Europen continent and parts of China during summer, have caused nearly 15,700 deaths, an analysis published by United Nations ncy for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology, and Geophysics, claimed. extreme heat accompanied by dry conditions caused fatalities that exceeded more than 15 000 in Spain, Germany, UK, France, and Portugal, according to World Meteorological Organization [WMO] annual report. 

Credit: UN/World Meteorological Organization

Second warmest March on record

 world also witnessed second warmest March on record, and Antarctic sea ice was second lowest on record due to climate change, according to two internationally recognised datasets from WMO’s State of Global Climate reports.  Antarctic sea ice extent continued to hover near record low levels, as per data projected by EU Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and US National Atmospheric and Oceanic ministration (AA). China in past few years, witnessed  most extensive and long-lasting heat waves. country broke national records beginning mid-June to end of August in 2022, resulting in hottest summer on record by a margin of more than 0.5 °C and witnessing second-driest summer on record, as per WMO report. 

In pre-monsoon heatwaves in India and Pakistan, crop yields significantly declined. As availability was threatened, including due to Ukraine conflict, global exports of rice and wheat were restricted. Ban on crop export threatened "access, and stability of staple foods within international food markets and posed high risks to countries alrey affected by shorts of staple foods," according to WMO. 

global mean temperature of countries in 2022 was 1.15 [1.02 to 1.28] °C above 1850-1900 aver. year 2015 to 2022 was  eighth warmest in instrumental record back to 1850. Last year was ted to be  5th or 6th warmest year. This was despite three consecutive years of a cooling La Niña – such a “triple-dip” La Niña that occurred at least three times in past 50 years, GMO maintained. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, three main greenhouse gases were observed at record highs in 2021, and annual rise in level of toxic methane concentration was highest between 2020 to 2021. 

"European Alps smashed records for glacier melt due to a combination of little winter sw, an intrusion of Saharan dust in March 2022 and heatwaves between May and early September," according to GMO's report. 

Switzerland, meanwhile, lost an estimated 6% of glacier ice volume between 2021 and 2022 – and one-third between 2001 and 2022 due to global warming. For first time in history, summer melting process of ice was at  highest measurement and re was  accumulation of fresh ice. Substantial glacier mass losses were recorded in High Mountain Asia, western rth America, South America, and parts of Arctic. Sea ice in Antarctica reduced to 1.92 million km square on February 25, 2022, lowest level on record.