“Thanks to today’s science, we can know very well whether or not certain events are affected by climate change. In the case of heat waves, the signal is clear,” said Ondřej Přibyla, director of the Climate Facts project. According to him, the record temperatures experienced by the Czech Republic in recent days can definitely be considered a heatwave. “The temperature coming in the waves is getting higher,” the expert warns.
Highlights of Aktuálně.cz – Ondřej Přibyla | Video: Jakub Zuzanek
The world and the Czech Republic had a scorching weekend – a record in many places – and the prospects for the next summer days don’t look any different. According to theoretical physicist Ondřej Přibyla, there is nothing we cannot expect according to climate models. That is, with the only difference that for the Czech Republic one cannot look for optimistic forecasts in it.
“The Czech Republic is heating up roughly twice the global average. Although there are places that are warming significantly faster, like Svalbard, for example,” explains the expert.
According to Přibyla, rising temperatures have some consequences that many people are completely unaware of. “Of course, high temperatures impact health, causing excessive mortality. And a related factor is drought, which can impact crops. In the Czech Republic, we consider this to be relatively minor, but from a global perspective, we see a large impact on food self-sufficiency, or food prices,” he commented.
Even the European Central Bank has confirmed an increase in food prices due to climate change. “So it’s not just the war in Ukraine,” Přibyla explained the reasons for the current inflation.
So can it be said that what the world is currently experiencing is climate change in full force? “This is climate change in progress, equivalent to 1.2°C of global warming. We have done little to stop it so far, so we expect it to stop at around 1.7°C if all goes well C. But that is the scenario best ,” Přibyla warned, adding that if governments do not translate their promises into real plans, global temperatures could rise significantly.
“Then we’re headed for a world where there will be more intense heatwaves, more intense storms and other impacts from the effects of climate change,” he concluded.
You can watch the entire interview in the introductory video or listen to it on your favorite podcast app.
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