Temperatures in Australia have been extremely hot for this time of year for several days. Schools remain closed due to the danger of forest fires. The country is now officially declaring an El Niño climate phenomenon.
Amid an unimaginable heat wave, Australia officially declared the El Niño climate phenomenon in the country. About 60 percent of the world is affected by the weather phenomenon, and Australia is particularly vulnerable to the impacts, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) announced on Tuesday.
The coming summer threatened with extremely high temperatures and violent wildfires. “In all probability, we can expect this summer to be hotter than average, certainly hotter than the last three years,” Meteorological Bank expert Carl Braganza told reporters.
Recording temperatures in the east and south
The World Weather Organization (WMO) had already announced in July that El Niño conditions were prevailing in the tropical Pacific for the first time in several years. This may increase global temperatures and change regional weather and climate patterns. Governments have been called on to take precautions to save lives during extreme weather events. The last strong El Niño event occurred in 2015/16.
Several states, especially in eastern and southern Australia, have been sweltering at record temperatures for days. In some places, this temperature is 10 to 16 degrees higher than the average values for September. The fire danger level on the south coast of New South Wales has been raised to “catastrophic” due to strong winds, Australian media reported, citing authorities. About 20 schools were closed as a precaution.
The animal protection organization IFAW also spoke of a “potentially catastrophic summer” and recalled the dire consequences of weeks-long bushfires in 2019/2020. In that time, more than twelve million hectares of land have been destroyed and countless animals killed. Authorities warn of another violent forest fire season. Robert Leach, an expert at the International Federation of Animal Agriculture, said Australian wildlife could no longer handle so much. “I don’t want to imagine what another disastrous summer would mean for the already declining numbers of our iconic species.”
El Niño is a weather phenomenon that occurs naturally every few years and is associated with warming seawater in the tropical Pacific and weakening trade winds. This event may exacerbate the consequences of climate change. Impacts are primarily concentrated in Southeast Asia, Australia, Africa, and Central America. (dpa)
- More comfort in reading even on the go
- E-paper and news in one application
- Push notifications throughout the day
No thank you. Continue this opinion.
“Alcohol buff. Troublemaker. Introvert. Student. Social media lover. Web ninja. Bacon fan. Reader.”
More Stories
Orca “attacks” science puzzle
This diet strengthens the psyche and emotional well-being – a healing practice
An exoplanet is like a cotton ball