Climate change made both the devastating drought in the Horn of Africa and the record April temperatures in the Western Mediterranean at least 100 times more likely, according to two new scientific reports. The studies add to the growing weight of evidence about the huge socio-economic impact of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, as highlighted by WMO’s State of the Global Climate reports.
The week-long UN Ocean Conference concluded on 1 July, with the unanimous adoption of the Lisbon Declaration "Our ocean, our future, our responsibility” and firm commitments supporting innovative science-based actions to save our ocean. More than 6,000 participants, including 24 Heads of State and Government and over 2,000 representatives of civil society attended, including a senior delegation from WMO.
At the start of the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the international community to unite to tackle the “ocean emergency,” saying that the “tide must be turned.” Speaking at the high-level opening session, Mr. Guterres stressed the need to preserve and protect the ocean and to safeguard people’s lives and livelihoods. He called on all Member States to join the new WMO-spearheaded initiative to ensure that everyone – including the increasing coastal population – is protected by early warnings in the next five years.
An unusually early and intense heatwave spread up from North Africa through Europe ahead of the Summer Solstice, bringing temperatures more typical of those witnessed in July or August. In some parts of Spain and France, temperatures are more than 10°C higher than the average for this time of year, breaking many monthly records. This is combined with drought in many parts of Europe.
