The climate revolution - problems in all corners of the planet

Climate change, with all its array of problems, is making its presence felt in all corners of this world. New information on this topic appears weekly.

Germany recorded its warmest March since records began in 1881, according to preliminary data published by the German Weather Service (DWD). This March with record temperatures came "after February temperatures were also the highest ever recorded for a February month in Germany," the DWD said. The last time two months with record temperatures followed each other was in April and May 2018, according to the same source. In March of this year, the average temperature was 7.5 degrees, surpassing the previous record set in 2017 (+7.2 degrees Celsius). The average temperatures were 4 degrees above the average of the period 1961-1990 and 2.9 degrees above the average of the period 1991-2020. The phenomenon was particularly accentuated on March 30 in eastern Germany, when the mercury in thermometers rose to 24.9 degrees Celsius in Cottbus, near the border with Poland. On the same day, it was 24 degrees in Munich, in the south of the country. March precipitation was also well below average at about 46 millimeters, according to the DWD, about 20 percent lower than the 1961-1990 and 1991-2020 reference periods.

Moving to the other end of the world, Australia may soon face a series of mega-droughts that will last for several decades, the authors of a study have warned, informs Xinhua. In a new study, researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) used several climate models to simulate droughts that occurred in Australia between 850 and 2000 to determine how these phenomena might evolve in future. They found that droughts in southwestern and eastern Australia in the 20th century were on average longer than those in pre-industrial times and warned that Australia could soon face mega-droughts lasting up to 20 years, with effects that are exacerbated by climate change. "One of the findings of our study is that it will be possible for droughts in Australia to be much longer than any of the droughts we have experienced in the recent past. Droughts that continue for 20 years or even more represent something that we should expect to happen," said Gregory Falster, lead co-author of the study conducted by the Research School of Earth Sciences at the ANU. "Mega-droughts are part of the natural variations in Australia's climate. But worryingly, they are now being compounded by human-caused climate change, which is likely to increase the chances of the next mega-drought happening here," he said. he added. According to the study, a mega-drought is an exceptionally severe, long-lasting and extensive drought. The researchers focused their efforts on the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia's largest agricultural area, which includes parts of the states of South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). They found that human-induced climate change is already contributing to longer droughts in this catchment, as well as in south-west Australia, and that these regions may face future declines in rainfall due to climate change. , which would increase the risk of drought. To reduce the impact of future droughts, the researchers said Australians should be prepared with water storage and management plans and community support networks.

Returning to Europe, dense clouds of dust and sand from the Sahara invaded the skies of Greece, especially in Athens and Thessaloniki, where thermometers showed temperatures of up to 31 degrees Celsius. These clouds of sand, which already made their presence felt last week in Greece, but also in other European countries such as Switzerland or the south of France, made the air difficult to breathe for many people. After a warm weekend, 26 degrees Celsius were expected in Athens, "temperatures similar to those of May", according to the public television channel ERT. Temperatures could even exceed 30 degrees Celsius, with 31 degrees expected in the southern Peloponnese (southwest) and on the island of Euboea, near the Greek capital. Vulnerable people "should avoid outdoor exercises as well as tiring manual work", emphasized the president of the Union of Pneumologists in Greece, Stamatoula Tsikrikas, for ERT. The union of pulmonologists in Greece explained that "African dust carries particles that can penetrate pollen, bacteria and fungi, creating a toxic and dangerous mixture for the human body and especially for the respiratory system". Pulmonology professor Thodoris Vasilakopoulos warned on the ANT1 television channel that "people suffering from asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems" must show caution. He recommended those belonging to the most fragile categories to wear face masks and sunglasses. The Shara region is the largest source of mineral dust, releasing between 60 and 200 million tonnes annually, and if the largest particles fall quickly back to the ground, the smallest can be transported thousands of kilometers across Europe.