Climate Facts: WMO warns of frequent heatwaves in decades ahead

The complexities of climate change and its associated jargon can make it difficult to digest. TheCable’s climate quick facts will help to demystify these climate concepts through easy-to-understand and straight-to-the-point explanations.

• According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), heatwaves will occur more frequently, into the 2060s. 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, the UN weather agency says.

• According to some experts, more than a million species of plants and animals face extinction. That’s approximately 1,000 times the natural rate. By the middle of the century, on this trajectory, 30 to 50% of all species on the planet will have vanished.

• The United Nation (UN) says 80% of the world’s wastewater flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused and approximately 44% of household wastewater isn’t safely treated across the globe. This puts those consuming untreated water at risk of contracting diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio.

• Each year, humans produce nearly 400 million tons of plastic waste, which is nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

• Despite the fact that the Paris Agreement has been in existence for six years, none of the world’s major economies is on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This poses a challenge for global climate health.