Nearly all of the world’s population was exposed to global warming from June to August as a result of a human-induced climate emergency, according to a report published late on Thursday.
Climate Central analysed temperatures in 180 countries and 22 territories to find 98% of the global population encountered higher temperatures made at least twice more likely by pollution.
“Virtually no one on Earth escaped the influence of global warming during the past three months,” said Andrew Pershing, vice president for science at the US-based research group.
The northern hemisphere summer of 2023 has been the hottest ever, with prolonged heatwaves in North America and Europe triggering unprecedented wildfires and elevating mortality rates.
While July was the hottest month since records began, average August temperatures were also 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels.
Observed Temperatures VS Those Generated By Models
In every country analysed as part of the study, the team found temperatures that would be difficult without human-induced climate change, Pershing added.
Sadly, the situation wasn’t any better in the southern hemisphere, where this is the coolest time of the year, he further mentioned.
The group compared observed temperatures with those generated by models that remove the influence of emissions to assess whether extreme events are made more likely by humans.
The catastrophic heatwaves in the West would have been impossible without pollution, said Friederike Otto at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment.
Observing Clean Air Day On September 7
The report was released the same day as the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies – an international call to ensure everyone, everywhere enjoys their right to breathe clean air.
Observed annually on September 7, Clean Air Day is meant to raise awareness and bring together governments, researchers, businesses and individuals to address air pollution.
On top of improving health, countering exposure to airborne contaminants is also key to tackling the triple crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
Also Read: Why is the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies important?
Moreover, since air pollution is an intrinsically transboundary problem, addressing it requires transboundary solutions and cooperation between cities and their surrounding areas.
