The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
STORY: Heatwave Linked to Climate Change – WMO, WHO
TRT: 03’20”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 19 July 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
WMO Warns of Frequent Heatwaves until the 2060s
Extreme heat in western Europe is causing devastating wildfires in France and Spain, unprecedented drought in Italy and Portugal, and brought to Great-Britain its highest-ever recorded temperature of 40 degrees Celsius today. With temperatures expected to remain above normal until the middle of next week, the World Metrological Organization (WMO) warned that heatwaves are and will occur more and more frequently. The pattern is linked to the observed warming of the planet that can be attributed to human activity, raising serious concerns for the planet’s future.
“We are expecting to see major impacts on agriculture. During the previous heatwaves in Europe, we lost big parts of harvest. And under the current situation -we are already having the global food crisis because of the war in Ukraine- this heatwave is going to have a further negative impact on agricultural activities” warned Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the WMO at a press conference today in Geneva.
In several countries, several sectors of the economies -including tourism- are suffering as a result.
“The negative trend in climate will continue at least until 2060s, independent of our success in climate mitigation”, Mr. Taalas added. “We have already lost the game concerning the melting of glaciers. We expect that the melting of glaciers will continue for the coming hundreds of years or even coming thousands of years anyhow. And also, sea level rise will continue for the same period”.
Mr. Taalas was wearing short sleeves and a red and blue tie which he chose to illustrate the warming trend he explained.
Air pollution and impact on health
The heatwave also acts as a lid, traps atmospheric pollutants, causing the degradation of air quality and adverse health consequences, particularly to vulnerable people. In the 2003 heatwave, only in Europe, 70 thousand people died.
“Climate change is affecting our health on many ways, not only by heatwaves which are having direct consequences in a number of diseases and conditions, but as well because it will be touching the pillars of our health alerted Maria Neira, Director Environment and Health at the WHO as she explained the access to food and water is at stake, as “we will not have good agriculture production and there will be water scarcity for sure”.
99% of the global population is breathing air that does not meet the health standards set by WHO, she said, with a great impact on people with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.
“The best solution to this will be, again, being very ambitious on tackling the causes of this global warming. We have been alerting for a long time that climate change is affecting very much human health and therefore taking measures to reach the zero carbon and accelerating the transition to clean, renewable sources of energy.”
More deaths among the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions are feared due to the ongoing heatwave, and the challenges for health services to face the increased demand.
Ends
- Medium shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, panel of speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, WMO: “Today, we have actually already broken the all-time high in UK. There was 39.1 degrees (Celsius) at 11:00am and we expect that the temperatures may go above 40 degrees (Celsius) today”.
- Medium lateral shot, journalists’ laptops and podium.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, WMO: “We are expecting to see also major impacts on agriculture. During the previous heatwaves in Europe, we lost big parts of harvest. And under the current situation we are already having the global food crisis because of the war in Ukraine, this heatwave is going to have a further negative impact on agricultural activities”.
- Medium shot of journalists and UN staff.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, WMO: “this kind of heat waves are becoming more and more frequent through the coming decades. The negative trend in climate will continue at least until 2060s, independent of our success in climate mitigation”.
- Close shot camera
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, WMO: “we have already lost the game concerning the melting of glaciers. We expect that the melting of glaciers will continue for the coming hundreds of years or even coming thousands of years anyhow. And also, sea level rise will continue for the same period”.
- Medium shot of journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, WMO: “I'm happy to wear this kind of ties at this kind of events, which is demonstrating what we have seen happening in the climate for the past 150 years. You can see that: in the past we had much more blue color, and more recently we have seen more red color which indicates that the heatwaves have become more frequent”.
- Wide shot of podium and journalists and UN staff listening.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Maria Neira, Director Environment and Health, WHO: “Climate change is affecting our health on many, many ways, not only by heatwaves which are having direct consequences in a number of diseases and conditions that it is causing, but as well because it will be touching the pillars of our health: the access to food, we will not have good agriculture production, access to water, there will be water scarcity for sure.”
- Medium lateral shot of journalists
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Maria Neira, Director Environment and Health, WHO: “99% of the global population is breathing air that is not respecting the proposed standards by WHO, the air quality guidelines”.
- Medium lateral shot of TV Screen.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Maria Neira, Director Environment and Health, WHO: “The best solution to this will be again being very ambitious on tackling the causes of this global warming. We have been alerting for a long time that climate change is affecting very much human health and therefore taking measures to reach the zero carbon and accelerating the transition to clean, renewable sources of energy.”
- Various shots of press room.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said Tuesday UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk was outraged by the repeated large-scale attacks by the Russian Federation on energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN warns against repeating abuses in South Kordofan that occurred in El Fasher.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Mozambique floods heighten disease, malnutrition risks – UN agencies
Catastrophic flooding in Mozambique is causing massive disruption to lives and livelihoods across the country, increasing the risk of disease and exposing urban areas to crocodiles, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OCHA
Yemen: Children are dying and it’s going to get worse, aid veteran warns
In Yemen, renewed political instability threatens and economic woes linked to the war to complicate the already difficult task of helping vulnerable people suffering from deepening hunger, illness and displacement, the UN's top aid official there said on Monday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Ukraine: Families in ‘survival mode’ amid Russian strikes and -18°C cold
Families across Ukraine are in “constant survival mode” amid ongoing waves of Russian missile and drone strikes that have left blocks without power for days at a time, while temperatures plunge to a deadly -18°C (-0.4°F), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges Iranian authorities to end violent repression and calls for accountability.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza: A ceasefire that ‘still buries children’ is not enough, says UNICEF
Airstrikes, drone strikes and hypothermia are among the lethal conditions prevailing in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with more than 100 children killed since early October, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
At the UN bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Marta Hurtado commented on the widespread repression and intimidation against political opposition ahead of the general elections in Uganda.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Aid agencies marked 1,000 days of war in Sudan on Friday with a grim reminder that the conflict has created the world’s biggest hunger crisis and largest displacement emergency. Every day, civilians have been “paying the price for a war they did not choose”, said the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Ravina Shamdasani, UN Human Rights spokesperson, made the following comments at the bi-weekly press briefing of the United Nations on the United States’ intervention in Venezuela.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR
Venezuela: US military intervention ‘far from victory for human rights’, makes world less safe – UN rights office
The UN rights office (OHCHR) on Tuesday expressed concern over the situation in Venezuela following the United States military operation and seizure of President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend, insisting that the move runs counter to international law and damages global security.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
As fighting spreads across Sudan in a dangerous new escalation, "people are scared, people are fleeing their homes," the UN migration agency, IOM, said on Friday, noting that more than 50,000 people have fled attacks and violence since late October in Kordofan region alone.