Singapore: Nearly all of the world’s population experienced higher temperatures from June to August as a result of human-induced climate change, according to a peer-reviewed research report published late on Thursday (Spetember 7). The northern hemisphere summer of 2023 has been the hottest since records began, with prolonged heatwaves in North America and southern Europe causing catastrophic wildfires and spikes in mortality rates. July was the hottest month ever recorded, while average August temperatures were also 1.5 Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels.
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A study by Climate Central, a U.S.-based research group, looked at temperatures in 180 countries and 22 territories and found that 98 per cent of the world’s population were exposed to higher temperatures made at least twice more likely by carbon dioxide pollution.
Virtually no one on Earth escaped the influence of global warming during the past three months,” said Andrew Pershing, Climate Central’s vice president for science. In every country we could analyse, including the southern hemisphere, where this is the coolest time of year, we saw temperatures that would be difficult – and in some cases nearly impossible – without human-caused climate change.
Climate Central assesses whether heat events are made more likely as a result of climate change by comparing observed temperatures with those generated by models that remove the influence of greenhouse gas emissions.
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It said as many as 6.2 billion people experienced at least one day of average temperatures that were at least five times more likely as a result of climate change, the maximum value in Climate Central’s Climate Shift Index.
The heatwaves in North America and southern Europe would have been impossible without climate change, said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment.
We have looked at isolated heatwaves. They have not been made five times more likely. They have been made infinitely more likely because they would not have occurred without climate change.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
