UN weather agency warns of 'red alert' after record heat
Rising temperatures should trigger a global "red alert", the United Nations' weather and climate agency chief said Wednesday, after global heat indices again smashed records in August.
The world saw record average temperatures in August for the second year running, according to preliminary data from the EU's climate monitor, seen by French news agency AFP.
Australia, Japan, parts of China and Norway all experienced their hottest August on record, according to meteorological agencies.
"It's clear that the temperatures are rising... above what we would like," said Celeste Saulo, head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
"And it is because the action is not enough."
While the exact average global temperature for August 2024 is not yet known, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has established it will be above the record 16.82 degrees Celsius (62.28 Fahrenheit) measured in August last year.
More resources needed
"Thresholds are all the time being beaten," Saulo said, speaking in Singapore at a regional climate forum of local meteorological services.
Saulo also called for better monitoring and support for meteorological agencies, adding that "we need more resources".
And the record August continues a near-unbroken 15-month streak, where each month eclipsed its own temperature record for the time of year, according to the C3S.
(with AFP)
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