MADRID, July 29 (IPS) – Curiously, two major scientific findings, both published in July, do not attribute the world’s current dangerous disasters to the ongoing proxy wars. out in Ukraine.
One of them, released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Another scientific study conducted by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), focusing on the dangers of what it calls: “secret methane leaks.” Methane is a colorless, odorless gas that is responsible for more than 25% about the global warming that the Earth is experiencing today.
Both issues are closely linked and are relevant to the present and immediate future of life on Earth, some of their related key findings below.
“Secret Leak”
UNEP explains that methane leaks are an open secret in the oil and gas industry and that it is causing the climate crisis. Its transparency reportIt provides the following information and explanations.
Massive methane leaks, known as super-emission events, have been occurring in oil and gas fields around the world, from the United States to Turkmenistan.
Releases, most of which can be traced back to device failures, can last for weeks.
One outside of one storage facility in Los Angeles in 2015 had a hemorrhage nearly 100,000 tons of methane – a potent greenhouse gas – into the atmosphere within four months.
In June this year, researchers at Spain’s Polytechnic University of Valencia, said they had discovered super event at an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
The installation emitted 40,000 tons of methane over a 17-day period in December 2021 – or 3% of Mexico’s total annual oil and gas emissions.
While emissions have been captured, challenges remain to track methane emissions, which are colorless, odorless and responsible for more than 25 percent UNEP explains the global warming that the Earth is experiencing today.
80 times more dangerous
The UNEP study also warning that, due to its structure, methane traps more heat in the atmosphere per molecule than carbon dioxide (CO2), making it 80 times more harmful than CO2 20 years after it is released into the atmosphere.
As countries develop plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the worst effects of climate change, experts say it will be important to better tackle the amount of methane released into the atmosphere. atmosphere, including from super-emission events.
Man-made cutting methane down 45% This decade will continue to warm below the threshold outlined by the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Who is the “super emitter”?
To monitor and measure methane emissions, the United Nations Environment Program in October 2021 launched International Methane Emissions Observatory. It catalogs wastes from the fossil fuel sector, and is soon followed by waste and agricultural waste.
“The oil and gas industries are major methane producers, emitting the gas during drilling, production and other parts of their operations. Methane is also sometimes intentionally released from oil and gas facilities for safety reasons.”
The agricultural sector is also a “major emitter of methane,” especially from raising livestock and growing certain foods, such as rice.
“Waste is the third most common source of man-made methane due to bacteria decomposing organic matter in landfills.”
The planet is baking
A major consequence of an unregulated methane leak, among so many other for-profit activities, is the unrelenting climate emergency.
About this, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also released scientific findings in July: heat waves will be more intense, last longer and will occur more and more frequently… for decades to come, into the 2060s.
The United Nations’ specialized agency earlier warned of record high temperatures in India and Pakistan, reaching 50 degrees Celsius.
Let alone a wave of severe drought lasting more than four years is hitting the entire East of Africa, and record high temperatures have been recorded in many other parts of the world.
The detect Among them, there is the case of the United Kingdom, with a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, which has just issued the first “Red Warning for exceptionally hot temperatures”.
In other European countries, such as Portugal and Spain, temperatures have reached highs of around 46 degrees Celsius.
Air quality degradation
Lorenzo Labrador, Science Officer at WMO’s Global Atmospheric Monitoring Program, said high temperatures are not the only adverse consequence of heatwaves.
“The stable and stagnant atmosphere acts as a lid to trap atmospheric pollutants, including particulate matter, increasing their concentration closer to the surface.”
Likewise, abundant sunshine, high concentrations of certain pollutants in the atmosphere, and a stable atmosphere favor bursts of near-surface ozone formation, which adversely affect humans. and plants.
“We broke the all-time high in the UK”, on July 19 speak Petteri Taalas, Secretary General of WMO.
New normal?
“In the future, a heat wave like this will happen normally. We will see stronger extremes. We have pumped so much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that the negative trend will continue for decades. We have not been able to reduce our emissions globally,” warned the WMO Director.
“The negative climate trend will continue at least until the 2060s, regardless of our success in climate mitigation.”
Harvest at risk
The unresolved climate emergency also affects the present and future of food.
In fact, “we are expecting to see big impacts on agriculture. During previous heatwaves in Europe, we lost a large portion of our harvest. And with the current situation, this heat wave will have a further negative impact on agricultural activities,” warned Mr. Petteri Taalas.
The temperature in Europe is higher than other places
According to the United Nations agency for the scientific assessment of climate change: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) temperatures will rise faster in parts of Europe than elsewhere.
In the Mediterranean, a disturbing combination of climate-induced changes (warming; extreme temperatures; increased droughts and aridity; reduced rainfall; increased wildfires; mean sea level) moderate and extreme; snow cover decreases; and wind speeds decrease) are expected mid – increase in temperature if global warming exceeds 2°C.
Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases
The health system is also challenged by heat waves.
“When a heat wave is accompanied by high levels of pollution, it exacerbates respiratory, cardiovascular and disease conditions, especially in large urban spaces that are not adapted to these high temperatures.” (WHO).
“Reliable access to food and water is at stake, just as agricultural production levels are at risk,” and there will certainly be water scarcity.
“99% of the global population is breathing air that does not meet the health standards set by WHO, with a huge impact on chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.”
Chaotic climate
Greenpeace International’s Chris Greenberg clear: Global heatwaves are climate chaos caused by fossil fuels.
“The unprecedented danger will be the new normal if we do not act urgently to stop fossil fuel-driven climate change.”
Are from Canada and USA arrive Russia and even North PoleRecord-breaking heat waves are putting lives, livelihoods and communities at risk, Greenberg said.
“… The entire global community needs to demand that fossil fuel companies and polluting businesses stop accelerating climate change with reckless, unprofitable drilling and burning of coal, oil and gas. “.
In addition to the current dangerous climate crisis, greed and making money have pushed humanity to the point of collapse.
© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service
