Latest news with #CelesteSaulo
Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Science
- Economic Times
You're the centerpiece in a phenomenon not seen in 30 million years
AP Earth's atmosphere has surpassed 430 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide For the first time in millions of years, Earth's atmosphere has surpassed 430 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide, marking a new and alarming milestone in the ongoing climate crisis. According to the latest data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and researchers at the University of California, San Diego, the global average CO₂ concentration in May 2025 exceeded 430 ppm—an increase of over 3 ppm from the previous year. This record-breaking concentration is the highest observed in at least several million years, with some scientists suggesting CO₂ levels may not have been this high for tens of millions of years. The rapid rise is largely attributed to human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, which release vast quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The accumulation of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases acts as a heat trap, raising global temperatures and driving more extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, storms, and floods. Ralph Keeling, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, commented on the trend: 'Another year, another record. It's sad.' He emphasized that the speed of the increase is especially concerning, as it reflects a failure by nations to sufficiently curb emissions and slow the pace of climate change. Recent years have seen some of the largest annual increases in atmospheric CO₂ on record. For example, between 2023 and 2024, the increase was 3.75 ppm—the largest one-year jump ever recorded, with the annual average reaching 422.8 ppm in 2024. The continued rise is fueled not only by fossil fuel combustion but also by reduced carbon uptake by natural sinks (like forests) and increased emissions from wildfires, such as those in the Amazon and Canada. In 2023, global wildfires alone emitted an estimated 7.3 billion tonnes of CO₂. The implications of these rising CO₂ levels are profound. Scientists warn that unless the build-up of greenhouse gases is slowed and eventually reversed, the world will continue to experience more severe climate impacts. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that to limit global warming to 1.5°C—as outlined in the Paris Agreement—the annual increase in atmospheric CO₂ must slow to about 1.8 ppm per year. Current trends, however, show no sign of this happening. 'Until we reach net zero CO₂ emissions globally, world temperatures will continue to rise and cause increasingly severe impacts,' said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization. The record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather events of 2024, which killed thousands and displaced millions worldwide, underscore the urgency of the situation.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
You're the centerpiece in a phenomenon not seen in 30 million years
For the first time in millions of years, Earth's atmosphere has surpassed 430 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide, marking a new and alarming milestone in the ongoing climate crisis . According to the latest data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) and researchers at the University of California, San Diego, the global average CO₂ concentration in May 2025 exceeded 430 ppm—an increase of over 3 ppm from the previous year. This record-breaking concentration is the highest observed in at least several million years, with some scientists suggesting CO₂ levels may not have been this high for tens of millions of years. The rapid rise is largely attributed to human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels , which release vast quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The accumulation of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases acts as a heat trap, raising global temperatures and driving more extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, storms, and floods. Ralph Keeling , a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, commented on the trend: 'Another year, another record. It's sad.' He emphasized that the speed of the increase is especially concerning, as it reflects a failure by nations to sufficiently curb emissions and slow the pace of climate change . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like She Was Everyone's Dream Girl In 90's, This Is Her Recently. Investructor Undo Recent years have seen some of the largest annual increases in atmospheric CO₂ on record. For example, between 2023 and 2024, the increase was 3.75 ppm—the largest one-year jump ever recorded, with the annual average reaching 422.8 ppm in 2024. The continued rise is fueled not only by fossil fuel combustion but also by reduced carbon uptake by natural sinks (like forests) and increased emissions from wildfires, such as those in the Amazon and Canada. In 2023, global wildfires alone emitted an estimated 7.3 billion tonnes of CO₂. The implications of these rising CO₂ levels are profound. Scientists warn that unless the build-up of greenhouse gases is slowed and eventually reversed, the world will continue to experience more severe climate impacts. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that to limit global warming to 1.5°C—as outlined in the Paris Agreement—the annual increase in atmospheric CO₂ must slow to about 1.8 ppm per year. Current trends, however, show no sign of this happening. Live Events 'Until we reach net zero CO₂ emissions globally, world temperatures will continue to rise and cause increasingly severe impacts,' said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization. The record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather events of 2024, which killed thousands and displaced millions worldwide, underscore the urgency of the situation.
The Age
20 hours ago
- Science
- The Age
‘Fast running out of time to turn the tide': Australia at sea in vast marine heatwave
A marine heatwave causing extreme heat and rainfall has enveloped Australia and stretched for 40 million square kilometres across the south-west Pacific, bringing intense heat, extreme rainfall and sea-level rises. The World Meteorological Organisation has confirmed 2024 was the hottest year on record in the south-west Pacific, which spans more than 10 per cent of the global ocean surface area. Sea surface temperatures were the highest on record and ocean heat content was at near-record levels in 2024. The State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2024 report outlined deadly impacts, including a record-breaking streak of tropical cyclones that hit the Philippines, existential threats to a tropical glacier in Indonesia's New Guinea. Marine heatwaves in the south-west Pacific extended for nearly 40 million square kilometres, over 10 per cent of the global ocean surface area. Across the region, the average temperature was almost half a degree warmer than the 1991–2020 average. Ocean warming and accelerated loss of ice mass from the ice sheets contributed to the rise of the global mean sea level by 4.7 millimetres per year between 2015 and 2024, reaching a new record observed high in 2024, the organisation's report found. 'Sea-level rise is an existential threat to entire island nations,' the secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organsiation, Celeste Saulo, said. 'It is increasingly evident that we are fast running out of time to turn the tide.' It is estimated that each year, at least 50,000 Pacific islanders face the risk of displacement due to the adverse effects of climate change. The waters around Australia have had a prolonged marine heatwave, not just in the Pacific but also the Indian and Southern oceans. Associate Professor Alex Sen Gupta, from the University of New South Wales Climate Change Research Centre, said that not only were marine temperatures around Australia at a record last year, there was a massive jump in heat from the previous record set the year prior.
Sydney Morning Herald
20 hours ago
- Science
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Fast running out of time to turn the tide': Australia at sea in vast marine heatwave
A marine heatwave causing extreme heat and rainfall has enveloped Australia and stretched for 40 million square kilometres across the south-west Pacific, bringing intense heat, extreme rainfall and sea-level rises. The World Meteorological Organisation has confirmed 2024 was the hottest year on record in the south-west Pacific, which spans more than 10 per cent of the global ocean surface area. Sea surface temperatures were the highest on record and ocean heat content was at near-record levels in 2024. The State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2024 report outlined deadly impacts, including a record-breaking streak of tropical cyclones that hit the Philippines, existential threats to a tropical glacier in Indonesia's New Guinea. Marine heatwaves in the south-west Pacific extended for nearly 40 million square kilometres, over 10 per cent of the global ocean surface area. Across the region, the average temperature was almost half a degree warmer than the 1991–2020 average. Ocean warming and accelerated loss of ice mass from the ice sheets contributed to the rise of the global mean sea level by 4.7 millimetres per year between 2015 and 2024, reaching a new record observed high in 2024, the organisation's report found. 'Sea-level rise is an existential threat to entire island nations,' the secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organsiation, Celeste Saulo, said. 'It is increasingly evident that we are fast running out of time to turn the tide.' It is estimated that each year, at least 50,000 Pacific islanders face the risk of displacement due to the adverse effects of climate change. The waters around Australia have had a prolonged marine heatwave, not just in the Pacific but also the Indian and Southern oceans. Associate Professor Alex Sen Gupta, from the University of New South Wales Climate Change Research Centre, said that not only were marine temperatures around Australia at a record last year, there was a massive jump in heat from the previous record set the year prior.
1News
a day ago
- Climate
- 1News
Australia, Pacific rocked by ocean heatwaves last year
Ocean temperatures in the south-west Pacific reached fresh highs last year as heatwaves struck more than 10% of the world's marine waters. Long stints of extreme ocean heat were experienced by nearly 40 million square kilometres of the region in 2024, including the waters surrounding Australia, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has revealed. WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo said ocean heat and acidification were together inflicting long-lasting damage on marine ecosystems and economies "It is increasingly evident that we are fast running out of time to turn the tide," she said. High ocean temperatures have been wreaking havoc on heat-sensitive coral reefs worldwide, with Australian authorities reporting the sixth mass bleaching event at the Great Barrier Reef in less than a decade. ADVERTISEMENT Warming on land was also higher than it had ever been last year, with Thursday's report from the United Nations weather and climate agency identifying temperatures roughly 0.48°C above the 1991–2020 average across the region. Heatwaves were particularly acute in Western Australia, with the coastal town of Carnarvon reaching 49.9°C in February and breaking existing temperature records by more than two degrees. The south-west Pacific assessment aligns with global temperature records being consistently broken as concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reach fresh highs. Last year was the hottest on record and the first to surpass 1.5°C warmer than pre-industrial times, the benchmark temperature under the Paris climate agreement. The global pact has not yet been breached as it refers to long-term trends but more warming is expected, with a separate WMO report predicting a 70% chance the average temperature over the next five years will exceed 1.5 degrees. The WMO regional report pre-dated Cyclone Alfred and the devastating flooding events Australia experienced in the first half of 2025, but captured above-average rainfall for the northern states last year. A sea level rise in the Pacific region that exceeds global averages was also recorded, threatening island communities living near the coast. ADVERTISEMENT Elsewhere in the region, Indonesia's glacier ice degraded 30-50% compared to 2022. If melting continues at the same rate, the ice is on track to disappear entirely by 2026 or soon after. The Philippines was struck by twice as many cyclones as normal, with 12 storms hitting the country between September and November. Climate patterns also influenced the year's weather events, including El Nino conditions at the start of 2024 in the tropical Pacific Ocean that weakened to neutral conditions by the middle of the year. Head of the federal Climate Change Authority Matt Kean said there was still "time to arrest this direction of travel to a hothouse destination" at an event in Sydney on Wednesday. "First, we should ignore the doubters whose main mission seems to be to prolong the life of fossil fuel industries," he said while delivering the Talbot Oration at the Australian Museum.
