The condition of the oceans on Earth is increasingly worrying. This is because the oceans in 2021 are hotter and more acidic than before.
According to the latest report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), this is exacerbated by melting ice sheets, which has an impact on rising sea levels.
"Our climate is changing drastically before us. The heat trapped by human-caused greenhouse gases is warming the planet for generations to come," WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas said in a statement quoted by The New Daily, Thursday (19/5). /2022).
This WMO report follows the latest climate assessment from the United Nations (UN) which warns that humanity must drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
If not, then humans will be rewarded in the future, such as greater exposure to climate change.
WMO mentions levels of carbon dioxide and methane as factors that will make the climate in the atmosphere in 2021 warmer than previous records.
Globally, last year's average temperature was 1.11 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, as the world is inches closer to the 1.5-degree threshold where the warming effect is expected to be drastic.
Indeed, last year, temperatures decreased slightly compared to 2020 due to the cooling effect of La Nina in the Pacific region. However, what is noteworthy is that it is still among the seven hottest years.
"It's only a matter of time before we see another hottest year on record," said Taalas.
As a result, the Earth, which is mostly ocean, bears the burden of warming and emissions. Mentioned, the waters absorb about 90% of geothermal accumulation and 23% of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities.
The sea is also getting warmer faster in the last 20 years which will set a record in 2021. The sea is also the most acidic in at least 26,000 years as it absorbs and reacts with more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, this sea has also increased by 4.5 cm in the last decade with this increase in 2013-2021 twice as fast as the 1993-2002 period.
