An unprecedented drought in Britain alerts authorities and shows the risk of climate change

The official declaration of unusual drought in Great Britain, an outbreak of glaciers and ice in Greenland that will raise the water level of the seas, a thousand deaths and 13 million affected in Pakistan by the floods are the best example of acceleration of climate change hitting the planet.

“The whole of South West England is in a state of drought, after some of the driest conditions of the past 90 years,” the UK Environment Agency said Tuesday morning.

The Wessex area, which includes Bristol, Somerset, Dorset, southern Gloucestershire and parts of Wiltshire, has been declared in a state of drought.

Measurement means this 11 of the 14 Environment Agency areas in England are in a state of droughtand the rest of the southwest (Devon, Cornwall and the Isle of Scilly) have already been hit by drought earlier this month.

Although the Wessex area has had some rain in the past couple of weeks, it hasn’t been enough to compensate for the long period of drought in recent months.

exceptional situation

“The drought was causing low flows in the rivers, which affected the environment in and around the rivers,” explained the Environment Agency.

He added that he will work with companies and individuals with licenses to extract water and with the public reduce demand and impact on nature.

Chris Paul, Environment Agency Area Drought Manager, said: “Despite some heavy rain in the past two weeks, it hasn’t been enough to fill our rivers and aquifers.”

“River levels in our area of ​​Wessex are exceptionally low, many of which show the lowest flows ever recorded. This puts incredible pressure on the local fauna and that is why we are entering a state of drought. We are prioritizing our local operations to minimize the impact on the environment, “she explained.

The drought comes in the wake of England’s driest July since 1935, with total monthly rainfall for most river basins rated as exceptionally low for the time of year.

The Environment Agency said there was five consecutive months of below average rainfall in all geographic regions of England and above average temperatures.

River flows, aquifers and reservoir levels also decreased in July.

Restrictions on water consumption

Extremely hot and dry conditions have affected crops, fueled forest fires and caused a sharp increase in water demand, impacting the environment, including dry rivers and ponds, and the death or suffering of fish and other wildlife.

Six water companies (Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, South West Water and Welsh Water) have implemented or announced prohibition of using pipe irrigation as part of efforts to tackle drought.

But water companies have been criticized for high rates of water leaks from the network, profits and salaries of executives, and for wastewater discharged into rivers and the sea in recent torrential rains.

Experts said sufficient rainfall during the fall and winter would restore rivers, lakes, aquifers and reservoirs to normal levels by spring. But planning on how to manage deficits should start in 2023, if the next few months are dry.

Drought is gripping much of Europe, fueling forest fires, draining rivers and devastating crops. Almost half of the 27 EU countries are in danger of drought. Conditions worsen in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Spain.

Glaciers melt in Greenland

Scientists have found that a sharp rise in sea level due to the melting of the Greenland ice sheet is now inevitable, even if the burning of fossil fuels that is driving the climate crisis It will end overnight.

Research shows that global warming to date will cause an absolute minimum sea level rise of 27 cm, from Greenland alone, as 110 tons of ice melt.

With continued carbon emissions, the melting of other polar ice caps and the thermal expansion of the ocean, a sea level rise of several meters seems likely.

Billions of people live in coastal regions, making flooding from rising sea levels one of the biggest long-term impacts of the climate crisis.

If Greenland’s record year of melting, 2012, becomes a routine occurrence by the end of this century, as it could, “then the ice sheet will generate a staggering 78 cm sea level rise,” the said. scientists.

The study published in the journal Climate change of nature used satellite measurements of the Ice losses in Greenland and the shape of the ice sheet between 2000 and 2019. These data allowed scientists to calculate how far global warming has pushed the ice sheet out of an equilibrium where snowfalls coincide with ice loss. This made it possible to calculate how much more ice must be lost to regain stability.

‘It’s a very conservative minimum,’ said Professor Jason Box of the National Geological Survey of Denmark and Groenland (Geus), who led the research. “Realistically, we will see this figure more than double this century.”

The 27 cm estimate is a low because so far it only takes into account global warming and because it does not include some of the ways in which ice from glaciers is lost at the edge of the ice sheet.

Himalayas, Alps and Antarctica at risk

The mountain glaciers of the Himalayas and the Alps are already coming it loses a third and a half of its ice respectively. Some scientists also believe that the West Antarctic ice sheet has passed the point where major losses are inevitable. Ocean warming also expands, adding to sea level rise.

“There is growing support in the scientific literature for levels of rise of several meters over the next 100-200 years,” said Dr. William Colgan, also of Geus.

The collapse of the colossal East Antarctic ice sheetwhich would lead to a 52-meter rise in sea level if it were to melt, could be avoided if rapid climate action was taken.

Professor Gail Whiteman, of the University of Exeter, who was not part of the study group, said: “The results of this new study are hard to ignore for all political and economic leaders concerned about the future of humanity. This one. it’s bad news for the nearly 600 million people living in coastal areas around the world. As sea levels rise, they will become increasingly vulnerable, threatening about $ 1 trillion in global wealth. “

The expert underlines this political leaders must rapidly increase funding for climate adaptation and damage.

floods in Pakistan

Monsoon floods and climate change are already putting Pakistan to the test. At least 1,000 people have died and 13 million have been affected by floods and landslides in the past 12 days.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Pakistan is facing a “steroid monsoon” as the government has issued more flood warnings for the next 24 hours.

Heavy rain for two months caused the worst flooding in more than a decade, damaging more than 1 million homes.

Guterres said it on Tuesday South Asia has been a hot spot of the climate crisis and that the catastrophic floods in Pakistan have left tens of millions of people in need of help.

It is “a warning to all nations of the destruction caused by man-made global warming,” he warned.

The UN has launched an urgent appeal for $ 160 million to provide aid.

“People living in these climate crisis hotspots are 15 times more likely to die from climate impacts,” Guterres said.

Flash floods triggered by the climate crisis affected more than 33 million people, officials said.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDA) said on Monday that the death toll from monsoon rains and floods in Pakistan has reached 1,136, with 75 deaths in the past 24 hours.

In an immediate warning issued on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) said a very high level of flooding in the Kabul River, which flows into the Pakistani Indus River, is likely to continue for the next 24 hours.

The Indus highway in Sindh was submerged by two feet of water. The highway connects Sindh with the provinces of Punjab and Baluchistan.

Local media reported that there was a increase in waterborne diseases in Sindh and other parts of Pakistan. In some parts of Sindh, there has been a 100% increase in disease.

Flash floods triggered by a strange monsoon have wiped out bridges, roads, homes, livestock and people across the country.

Paris, correspondent

CB