- Title: April is 12th straight month of record-breaking temperature, UN says
- Date: 20th May 2016
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (MAY 20, 2016) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS BUILDING NEWS BRIEFING IN PROGRESS U.N. STAFF AND JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION SPOKESPERSON, CLAIRE NULLIS, SAYING: "Another month, another global temperature record has been set. So, surprise, surprise, April set new records for record high temperatures both on land and the ocean. This is the 12th straight month that we have seen temperatures records broken. What is particularly concerning is the margin at which these records are being broken...They are not being broken, they are being smashed, and on a fairly consistent basis." VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION SPOKESPERSON, CLAIRE NULLIS, SAYING: "In the southern hemisphere, the concentrations (of carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere have now passed the, what we call the 400 part per million level; it is a symbolic milestone, but it is significant. The reason it is significant is that in the Northern hemisphere the atmospheric concentrations vary, in the southern atmosphere they don't, they are fairly stable, so the fact we have now passed the 400 part per million level means that it is not going to come down." JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION SPOKESPERSON, CLAIRE NULLIS, SAYING: "Our message once again is that we really do need to act urgently to implement the Paris climate change agreement, and to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION SPOKESPERSON, CLAIRE NULLIS, SAYING: "Another worrying thing about the climate was that, according to data from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), we saw the lowest snow cover extent in the northern hemisphere this winter. This is significant obviously in terms of drought, in terms of the impact on wildfires. There have been quite a few reports that the very bad wildfires that we are seeing in Canada, one of the contributory factors to this is in fact that the low snow pact and the fact that there is less moisture in the soil." U.N. BUILDING
- Embargoed: 4th June 2016 12:30
- Keywords: climate change United Nations COP21 temperature records
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / ZEERUST, SOUTH AFRICA
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / ZEERUST, SOUTH AFRICA
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0014IM3HAF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) called on Friday (May 20) for the urgent implementation of the Paris climate change agreement, warning that temperature records were being smashed at a worrying pace.
"Another month, another global temperature record has been set. So, surprise, surprise, April set new records for record high temperatures both on land and the ocean. This is the 12th straight month that we have seen temperatures records broken. What is particularly concerning is the margin at which these records are being broken...They are not being broken, they are being smashed, and on a fairly consistent basis", the UN organization's spokesperson Claire Nullis told reporters during a news briefing in Geneva.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), global temperatures in April were the highest on record, measuring 1.1 degrees more than the 20th century average. Meanwhile on Thursday (May 19), India recorded its highest temperature of 51 degrees Celsius in Rajastan.
The WMO said the main factor accounting for the rise in temperatures globally was climate change triggered by human emissions.
"In the southern hemisphere, the concentrations (of carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere have now passed the, what we call the 400 part per million level; it is a symbolic milestone, but it is significant. The reason it is significant is that in the Northern hemisphere the atmospheric concentrations vary, in the southern atmosphere they don't, they are fairly stable, so the fact we have now passed the 400 part per million level means that it is not going to come down", Claire Nullis explained.
The Paris climate change agreement, reached in December 2015, commits countries to keeping the global rise in temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius. The deal was agreed to by 175 states, but has not been yet ratified by all of them.
In a statement, the WMO insisted with the current rate of increase in CO2 levels, the 2 degree celsius temperature limit would be reached within the next two generations. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None