Climate change hit 62m people worldwide, says State of the Global Climate report
Extreme weather last year hit 62 million people worldwide and forced 2 million people to relocate, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). 2018 saw record sea level rise and exceptionally high land and ocean temperatures as the physical signs and socio-economic impacts of climate change accelerate, the organisations's 2018 State of the Global Climate report , released today, says. The WMO, which is the United Nations' weather agency, said emissions from burning fuels such as coal, petrol and diesel for electricity and transportation are contributing to global warming that in turn brings more intense storms, floods and droughts. It "makes for sobering reading," said professor James Renwick, a climate scientist and head of the Victoria University of Wellington's school of geography, environment and earth sciences. READ MORE: * 2018 was the Earth's fourth hottest year on record * Fish are dying and grapes are harvesting early because of last summers heatwave * 'Life-altering' changes needed to avoid the worst of climate change "Carbon dioxide concentrations are at record levels, ocean heat content and sea levels are both at record highs, sea ice extent is well below normal in both hemisphere, glaciers and ice sheets are melting," he said. "On and on, in the now-familiar litany of all the ways the climate is warming and changing around us. "Even more worrying is the range of associated extreme weather events and impacts on human populations. World hunger is on the rise and we are now talking of millions of people displaced as a result of weather and climate extremes." Cyclone Idai this month killed hundreds of people in Africa , while Australia saw drought followed by devastating flooding earlier this year. "The record heat in New Zealand and the Tasman Sea during summer 2017/18 is an example of what we can expect much more of in future years. With no action on climate change, that record warm summer in New Zealand would be counted as a cold summer in another 50 years," Renwick added. This week, the West Coast was lashed by a severe storm which sparked a State of Emergency for the region, and destroyed the Waiho Bridge . "In a week that has seen the highest 48-hour rainfall total ever in New Zealand, it seems fitting that the WMO is highlighting the increasing impacts of climate change around the world," said Gregor Macara, a climate scientist at NIWA. "New Zealand is far from immune and has experienced many of the indicators the WMO has concluded are becoming more pronounced globally." Macara said other impacts on New Zealand include our hottest ever month in January 2018 , when the mean temperature was 20.3C, 3.1C above average; marine heatwaves ; and a near record 40-day dry spell in Nelson this summer which played a part in the huge wildfires . UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on global leaders to convene in September with plans to reduce emissions. Renwick said it was vital that governments here and overseas take notice. "The globe is currently running a temperature of about 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. To rein in the warming at no more than 1.5C above pre-industrial, global emissions need to halve by 2030, and go to zero by 2050. Yet, emissions increased to record levels in 2018 ," he said. "Policy-makers must really take on board that climate change is an existential threat to global society, to the global economy, and to all ecosystems on earth." Yesterday, the Department of Conservation warned that our conservation areas and species are at risk from rising sea levels, and the sea is also advancing on tens of thousands of people who live close to the high tide mark across the country. Mean global sea level for the period from January to July 2018 has been 2 to 3 mm higher than for the equivalent period in 2017, according to the WMO report. If we don't make changes, New Zealand will continue to see significant impacts in the future, said professor Jim Salinger, visiting scholar at Penn State University. "The extra 3.7 mm of sea level rise will be very significant for New Zealand with its many seaside urban areas and long coasts," Salinger said. "The record warm summer ending in February 2019 produced the largest ice loss on the Southern Alps glaciers since the regular end of summer snowline surveys started 42 years ago. We've seen Queensland Groper in the Bay of Islands, Northland, 3000 km out of range, snapper in Milford Sound in Fiordland, and massive mortality in the aquaculture fisheries of the Marlborough Sounds. "These are a harbinger of climate in the latter part of the 20th century if we do not take action to reduce emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels and the production of greenhouse gases from other sources such as waste and agriculture immediately." - Stuff with AP