Marked by a series of extreme weather events in various parts of the globe, 2022 was the fifth hottest year ever recorded in the time series of the Copernicus global warming monitoring program of the European Commission.
Data from the European service indicate that the eight warmest years ever documented took place from 2014 onwards. The margin of difference between the record holders is even tighter. So far, the ranking is led by 2016, followed respectively by 2020, 2019 and 2017.
Temperatures last year were 1.2°C higher than in the period between 1850-1900. With that, 2022 was the eighth consecutive year that thermometers marked at least 1°C above the pre-industrial level.
The result happens even with the occurrence, for the third consecutive year, of the La Niña phenomenon, typically related to lower temperatures, during a good part of the year.
There were, however, important regional variations, with regions particularly affected. Both polar regions had record temperature episodes. On the Antarctic Peninsula and parts of Siberia, for example, temperatures in 2022 were more than 2°C above the average recorded between 1991 and 2020.
Thermometers also soared in Europe, which had its hottest summer on record in 2022. In general terms, the year ended up as the second warmest in the historical series in the old continent.
Closely related to global warming, extreme weather events have also been plentiful over the past year.
In northern India and Pakistan, extremely high temperatures in the pre-monsoon season contributed to prolonged heat waves. Pakistani territory also faced torrential rains that left a trail of material destruction and human lives.
In Australia, exceptionally wet periods were recorded, with temperatures below average in several parts of the territory. The country also had several floods, in a situation “typically associated with persistent conditions of the La Niña phenomenon and probably accentuated by saturated soils”, highlight the researchers.
In Europe, record summer temperatures, combined with reduced rainfall, brought intense drought to several countries, especially in the south and center of the continent.
In addition to the effects on agricultural production and various economic activities, environmental conditions favored the occurrence of large forest fires. Countries such as Portugal, Spain and France documented several fires in forests, which also contributed to the increase in emissions and the degradation of air quality.
“The year 2022 has been another year of climate extremes in Europe and the world. These events highlight that we are already experiencing the devastating consequences of our warming world,” says Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Global Warming Service.
According to the scientist, the report now published provides clear evidence that “in order to avoid the worst consequences, society will be required to urgently reduce carbon emissions and quickly adapt to climate change”.
The European report indicates, on the other hand, that greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise in 2022. The year ended with the highest concentration of methane and carbon dioxide ever recorded by Copernicus data.
According to the entity, if other works and sources of scientific information are considered, the concentrations of carbon dioxide were the highest in more than 2 million years, while those of methane were the highest in 800 thousand.
“Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, are the main causes of climate change, and we can see from our monitoring activities that atmospheric concentrations continue to increase with no signs of slowing down”, says the director of the monitoring service of the Copernicus, Vincent-Henri Peuch.
By the end of the month, several entities, including regional meteorological centers, universities and NASA (American space agency), will also release their data on temperatures and emissions in 2022. The expectation is that the alarming data will be repeated in various parts of the globe .
The Planeta em Transe project is supported by the Open Society Foundations.
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
