WHO Chief Warns of Increased Extreme Weather Events in 2023: Climate Changes Devastating Impact on Human Health

Climate Change to Lead to Increase in “Extreme Weather Events” in 2023: WHO Director-General

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said climate change will lead to a significant increase in “extreme weather events” in 2023, pointing to record temperatures this week.

Talking during a conference, journalist Tedros said the “climate crisis” is now one of the “major determinants of human health impacts”, warning that global warming could eventually lead to “a wave of hunger, migration and disease”.

In the coming months, we expect a number of extreme weather events, including droughts, floods, hurricanes and heat waves, that will harm people’s health,” he said, also noting that Monday represents the “hottest day on record” in terms of average temperatures around the world.

The Impact of Climate Change on the Horn of Africa

Tedros added that the “protracted drought” and heatwave in the Horn of Africa has already had a significant impact, placing a heavy strain on local health services. The region, which includes Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, has recently been hit by the worst drought in decades and nearly 60 million people are currently food insecure.

The WHO chief said some countries had “the highest rates of severely malnourished children” in recent years, thanks in large part to hunger. Although the region’s drought has “turned into heavy rains and floods”, hunger levels are expected to remain high.

Record Global Average Temperature

Data released by the U.S. National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) on Monday showed the global average temperature was 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 Fahrenheit), an all-time high that easily surpassed the previous record of 16.92 degrees.

Local regions from Texas to China to Antarctica have also been at the mercy of strong heatwaves, which some climate scientists attribute to general global warming and a warmer-than-usual El Niño weather pattern this year.

The Impact of El Niño on Extreme Weather Events

El Niño is a cyclical weather cycle in which warm air is pushed away from the tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean, with far-reaching effects on temperature and precipitation around the world. The warm phase can cause extreme weather events, including hurricanes, and recent studies show that such events are becoming more frequent over the years due to the effects of climate change.

Source: RT

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