A Glimpse of the Future? Extreme Weather and the Urgency of the Climate Crisis
With heatwaves, droughts, and floods, the summer of 2022 saw unprecedented extreme weather conditions, which had massive impacts across the world. Many countries experienced their highest temperatures on record, including highs of over 50⁰C in the Middle East. These conditions had detrimental financial, environmental and humanitarian impacts. However, while they may appear to be an anomaly, these extreme weather conditions present a rather frightening warning about the urgency of the climate crisis, and a glimpse into what the future could become.
Unprecedented heatwaves through the summer of 2022 affected much of the Northern Hemisphere. It was Europe’s hottest summer on record, with temperatures reaching above 40⁰Cacross the continent. Across the world, 298 long-term weather stations recorded all-time high temperatures. This had widespread and detrimental effects, including direct impacts on human health. During July, for example, Spain and Portugal reported over 1,000 heat related deaths in a single day. Additionally, devasting wild fires, resulting from soil moisture and extreme heat, blazed their way through Europe. So far this year, a record of over 700,000 hectares have been burnt down by wild fires across the EU. As well as reducing biodiversity, decreasing air quality, and causing evacuations and threats to people’s lives, these fires also have significantly contributed to climate change. The European Environment Agency highlights that wild fires release large quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which cause Earth’s temperature to rise. Between June and August, wildfires across the EU and UK are estimated to have emitted over 6.4 million tons of carbon, the equivalent to the annual emissions of roughly 5 million cars.
Meanwhile, further afield, extreme weather also had dangerous and disastrous effects. In Pakistan, for example, following record-breaking temperatures of up to 50⁰C this spring, the country then experienced vast flooding after monsoon season. This had massive environmental, economic and humanitarian impacts, with UNICEF reporting that over 33 million people were affected by the floods, 7 million temporarily displaced, and 1,400 killed. One third of the country was left underwater, with over 18,000km2of agricultural land ruined. In the southerly Sindh region, which produces around half of Pakistan’s food, over 90% of crops were destroyed. The damages from the floods are estimated to be around $30 billion (£27.95 billion). Famine, food shortages, and disease are now rife.
These extreme weather conditions are some of the significant impacts of climate change. The World Weather Attribution reported that climate change has increased the likelihood of heatwaves by at least 10 times, and overall made them 4⁰C hotter than they would have been without human-caused GHG emissions. While there were vast amounts of temperature and weather records broken this year, it is likely they will not stand for long. The Met Office warns that such conditions could become much more regular in the future, with temperatures of over 40⁰C across the UK becoming commonplace if the planet continues to warm.
The likelihood of extreme weather, such as that experienced around the world this summer, will therefore only increase as climate change continues. While there has been increasing calls for drastic changes over the last couple of decades, the increasing severity of the climate crisis requires more immediate dire action. Greenpeace have emphasised that GHG emissions must be radically reduced, including moving away from fossil fuels. Extreme weather including heatwaves will only continue to worsen until GHG emissions end and net zero is reached. To reach net zero, GHG emissions must be reduced to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions being offset and re-absorbed from the atmosphere, such as through forests and oceans.
Many governments, including the UK, New Zealand and Japan, have now pledged to reach net zero by 2050 and have laid out strategies to achieve this. It requires massive efforts, changes and investments. A report by the International Energy Agency highlighted that to meet this goal, the annual global investment in clean energy would need to triple to a figure of around $4 trillion USD (£3.73 trillion) by 2030. However, several research groups and organisations, such as the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG), are already warning that 2050 is too far away as a goal for net zero. They note that overall this target is ‘too little too late’ and will not meet the Paris Agreement’s temperature goals. Emphasising the inadequacy of recent action and GHG reductions, the CCAG now is emphasising the need for net negative strategies instead of net zero, and active removal of GHGs from the atmosphere on top of reduced emissions.
Due to the current state of the climate crisis, even if these measures are taken to reduce the severity of climate change’s impacts, temperatures are still going to continue to rise as GHG have already caused irreversible changes. Therefore, the World Economic Forum has emphasised that pre-emptive measures must be taken to prepare for future higher temperatures and extreme weather. For example, they emphasise that cities and urban areas should seek to increase greenery to both provide people with increased shade, and cover surfaces such as asphalt, which greatly increase in temperature in the sun.
Infrastructure also needs to be overall improved in order to be able to deal with more extreme weather. Especially in more historically tepid countries, such as the UK, much of the existing infrastructure is not designed to withstand such high temperatures. Governments therefore must create new strategies, including to modify and improve transport links, and to update housing and ensure future buildings have the systems required to stay cool in high temperatures.
The events of the last few months have recast the light on the emergency of the climate crisis. It has served as a deadly reminder of the threats posed by climate change to people’s lives, health and livelihoods, as well as the Earth’s overall future. The extreme weather conditions experienced during summer 2022 have provided a vital wake-up call for the urgency and extent of action needed, as well as insights into what the future could be like and the crucial adaptations needed. As an issue that effects the whole of humanity, an urgent, unified response to the climate crisis is critical to minimise potential future destruction and ultimately ensure survival.
Image courtesy of Alisdare Hickson via Wikimedia, ©2022, some rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the wider St Andrews Foreign Affairs Review team.
