KEY INDICATORS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

[Anchor Lead]

Climate change is taking place at a faster rate than we realize. The World Meteorological Organization studied some key indicators of climate change and four indicators were shown to have set record highs. The United Nations Secretary General called this study a report on mankind that has failed to tackle the climate disruption.

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Ice-cream melts like dripping water under the blazing sun. Last year the temperature in Death Valley in the U.S. hit a record high of 54.4℃. Cars are rolled over and the village is seen overrun with muddy water. In Germany, more than 130 people died in an unprecedented flood. Then there were forest fires, droughts, and even hailstorm. These are weather abnormalities that occurred across the globe last year. The main cause is rapid climate change. The World Meteorological Organization conducted a study and found that four climate change indicators have set record highs last year. The carbon dioxide level recorded a record average of 413.2 parts per million, 49% higher than the pre-industrialization times. Sea surface temperature also went up to the highest level in history. Warmer water subsequently melted the glaciers, causing sea levels to rise to a record high. More seriously, ocean acidity threatening the marine ecosystem reached the most acidic level in 26,000 years.

[Soundbite] Han Dae-suk(Int’l Cooperation Div., Korea Meteorological Administration) : "The WMO report provides information and actual cases to decision-makers about how the climate change indicators in the IPCC report have manifested worldwide in the past few years."

The United Nations Secretary General immediately expressed his strong concern.

[Soundbite] Antonio Guterres(U.N. Secretary-General)

The latest report will be used as an official document for the Conference of the Parties for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change slated for the end of this year.