Experts analyze the causes of the catastrophic climate phenomena that the planet has witnessed in recent months National newspaper

Hey National newspaper The aim was to hear expert opinion on the possible causes and effects of extreme weather events in recent months across the planet.

While one part of the world faces unprecedented heat waves, another part suffers from floods and inundations. This was the case in Vietnam, Greece and Libya.

Here, in Brazil, the winter was also harsh. Drought in the north, above-average temperatures in much of the southeast, and hurricanes and heavy rains in the south.

Explanations for all of these climate events appear on a map showing where temperatures are higher than normal on the surface of the oceans. The red spot over the Pacific Ocean is the result of the El Niño phenomenon. On the other hand, we see that the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean have also become warmer, as a result of global warming, according to experts.

Climate scientist José Antonio Marengo, research coordinator at the National Center for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Warning, says: The combination of these two phenomena has caused all these natural disasters.

“The El Niño phenomenon, on the one hand, is the observed trend of global warming, which has led to extreme situations. Not only heat waves in the Northern Hemisphere, but also, for example, hurricanes, usually in the Gulf of Mexico, in the northern tropical regions of the Atlantic Ocean, the number of hurricanes has been Less during El Niño years. But this year the hurricane situation is above normal. We are now already witnessing what should only happen in the future, and it is clear that extreme weather events, when they affect vulnerable and exposed areas, become and manifest natural disasters.

Disasters that have claimed thousands of lives around the world, and also have financial implications. In the United States, the country’s climate agency estimates that Losses from climate events this year exceed US$23 billion – R$112 billion.

Reversing this scenario will require an effort from society as a whole, says Teresio Ambrizi, director of the USP Institute for Energy and Environment.

“If we know that this increase in temperature is caused by increases in greenhouse gases – for example, carbon dioxide and methane – what should we do? We should try to reduce and mitigate these increases in gases through more sustainable actions on our part and on the part of our governments.” “.

They can’t wait any longer.

“In reality, climate change, this impact, is not for the future. It is for today. If we do nothing, today, those who will actually suffer most are future generations,” he warned.