The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
Report launch « United in Science » - WMO 13 September 2022
Urgent action is needed to mitigate emission and adapt to the changing climate, this is the key message of the latest report “United in Science” presented today by Prof Petteri Taalas, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), at the United Nations in Geneva.
“We have again broken records in main greenhouse gas concentrations", said Mr. Taalas when speaking to the media."Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide and the carbon dioxide emissions have already exceeded the emission level of 2019 before the pandemic”,
The report says that greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise to record highs. The ambition of emissions reduction pledges for 2030 needs to be seven times higher to be in line with the 1.5 °C goal for the Paris Agreement.
The new multi-agency report coordinated by WMO provides an overview of the most recent science related to climate change, its impacts and responses. It includes input from WMO, the UN Environment Programme, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and many others.
“Temperatures, the estimation is that again the past five years are going to be the warmest period on record”, said Mr. Taalas. “We still have three months to go this year, but it’s practically sure that this period is going to be the warmest again.”
The report predicts that there is a 93% probability that at least one year in the next five will be warmer than the warmest year on record (2016).
Cities – home to 4,2 billion people - will face increasing socio-economic impacts with the most vulnerable populations suffering the most.
“One of the new features of this report is that we are also focusing on cities”, said WMO’s Chief. “70 percent of the emissions are coming from cities where are growing amount of global population are living, and also the impacts of climate change are very much felt in cities”.
He added that “the heat waves are more dramatic, especially the night temperatures are higher than in the more urban areas, and also flooding challenges and drought challenges and storm challenges there felt more strongly in cities.”
According to Mr. Taalas, climate science is increasingly able to show that many of the extreme weather events that the world is experiencing have become more likely and more intense due to human-induced climate change.
“We have seen a fivefold increase in the amount of disasters during the past five years. That means flooding, drought, tropical storms and especially heat waves,” he said.
Hence, it is more important than ever to scale up action on early warning systems to build resilience to current and future climate risks in vulnerable communities, Mr. Taalas stressed.
“Only half of the 193 members of WMO have proper early warning services in place. This gap means that once disaster hits a country, there’s more casualties and also more economic losses and we could save lots of money and also human lives by implementing proper early warning services.”
-ends-
- Wide shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, press room with panel of speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Prof Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “We have again broken records in main greenhouse gas concentrations. Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide and the carbon dioxide emissions have already exceeded the emission level of 2019 before the pandemic.”
- Medium shot, press room, panel in background.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Prof Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “Temperatures, the estimation is that again the past five years are going to be the warmest period on record. We still have three months to go this year, but it’s practically sure that this period is going to be the warmest again.”
- Medium shot, journalist taking notes, screen showing graph.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Prof Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “One of the new features of this report is that we are also focusing on cities. Seventy percent of the emissions are coming from cities where are growing amount of global population are living, and also the impacts of climate change are very much felt in cities. The heat waves are more dramatic, especially the night temperatures are higher than in the more urban areas, and also flooding challenges and drought challenges and storm challenges there felt more strongly in cities.”
- Close up shot, speakers, screen in background.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Prof Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “We have seen a fivefold increase in the amount of disasters during the past five years. That means flooding, drought, tropical storms and especially heat waves.”
- Medium shot, staff monitoring.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Prof Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “Only half of the 193 members of WMO have proper early warning services in place. This gap means that once disaster hits a country, there’s more casualties and also more economic losses and we could save lots of money and also human lives by implementing proper early warning services.”
- Medium shot, panel of speakers.
- Close up shot, journalist taking notes.
- Medium shot, staff monitoring.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , HRC
Volker Türk, the UN Human Rights High Commissioner, made the following remarks during a briefing to a Special Session on Iran at the Human Rights Council.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , UNOPS , UNIS
Amid the launch of President Trump's Board of Peace and reconstruction talks on Gaza, UN aid agencies insisted on Friday that what Gazans need most is immediate relief from the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe there.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , IOM , UNOPS , UNRWA , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the United Nations Office for Project Services, the UN International Organization for Migration, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
2
6
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | HRC
At UN, war crimes probe pledges to continue to work for all impacted by Hamas-Israel conflict
As President Trump launched the international Board of Peace plan for Gaza on Thursday, top independent rights experts tasked by the UN Human Rights Council with investigating grave abuses linked to the Hamas-Israel war pledged to continue their work seeking justice and accountability for all.
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.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA , OHCHR , UNCTAD , UNICEF , UNECE
Rolando Gómez, Chief of Press and External Relations Section, United Nations Information Service (UNIS) at Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the United Nations Trade and Development.
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
Press Conferences | HRC , UNICEF , IFRC , WFP , WHO , UNHCR
Rolando Gómez, Chief of Press and External Relations Section, UN Information Service at Geneva (UNIS), chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Federation of the Red Cross, the World Food Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization.
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.