UN weather agency warns of ‘red alert’ after record heat

The chief of the United Nations’ weather and climate agency stated on Wednesday that the global heat indexes again broke records in August, and that this should prompt a “red alert” due to the increasing temperatures.

For the second consecutive year, August saw record-high average temperatures worldwide, according to interim data from the EU’s climate monitor, which was obtained by AFP.

According to meteorological agencies, August was the hottest on record in Australia, Japan, sections of China, and Norway.

Celeste Saulo, the director of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), stated, “It is evident that the temperatures are increasing at a rate that exceeds our expectations.”

“And it is because the action is not enough.”

Although the precise average global temperature for August 2024 is not yet known, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has determined that it will surpass the record 16.82 degrees Celsius (62.28 Fahrenheit) recorded in August of the previous year.

Saulo stated at a regional climate forum of local meteorological services in Singapore, “Thresholds are consistently being surpassed.”

Saulo also advocated for improved monitoring and support for meteorological agencies, stating that “we require additional resources.”

The forum is scheduled to take place just days after the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) published its most recent assessment of the effects of climate change in Asia and the Pacific. The assessment cautioned that sea-level rise exceeded the average in numerous regions.

And the record According to the C3S, August is the continuation of a nearly unbroken 15-month sequence in which each month surpassed its own temperature record for the season.

The climate forum also announced that Singapore has been designated as a regional center for the monitoring of pollution caused by vegetation fire and smoke.

Officials stated that the facility, which is one of only two such centers worldwide, will address a deficiency in regional data by providing superior quality information on fires and pollution forecasts.