🌱 Report indicates that regions of Latin America are close to an “irreversible” point
This week the annual report (document in English) prepared by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on the climate situation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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The document brings alarming conclusions, such as: a 22% increase in the loss of vegetation in the Amazon rainforest in the last year (the highest rates since 2009), loss of more than 30% of the surface of Andean glaciers in less than 50 years and the “megadrought” that hits central Chile, classified as the most persistent in the last millennium.
🌳 European Union monitors progress on its environmental and climate goals
The European Commission presented yesterday (26) a list of indicators that aim to monitor progress related to the European Union's climate and environmental goals until 2030, as well as the long-term vision of 2050 for “live well, within planetary limits".
The European Union's policies aim to ensure that the bloc returns to living and working within the limits of the planet. To do this, the indicators capture your progress towards environmental well-being, also including economic and social aspects.
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This monitoring is part of the 8th Environmental Action Program.
🍃 Air pollution may increase risk of dementia
The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP), a UK government think tank, published a report (document in English) that concluded that air pollution is likely to increase the risk of accelerated “cognitive decline” and “development of dementia” in older people (The Guardian).
The Committee reviewed nearly 70 studies that examined how exposure to emissions affects the brain over time. There is also evidence to show that exposure to air pollution increases the risk of heart disease.
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🔥 Europe as the center of heat waves
The heat wave that has already killed people, caused series of fires and brought thermometers in several European countries to record temperatures in recent weeks has raised a questionament: Why is Europe becoming a frequent target of heat waves?
A report by The New York Times says, In addition to global warming, other factors, involving the circulation of the atmosphere and the ocean, may be making the European continent the center of heat waves.
Um study published in the journal Nature Communications., earlier this month, found that heat waves in Europe have increased in frequency and intensity over the past four decades and attributed this growth, at least in part, to changes in airflow.
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In the study, researchers reported that European heat waves occurred when the air current temporarily split in two, leaving an area of light winds and high-pressure air between the two branches, thus causing the accumulation of extreme heat.
Curto curation:
- Why Brazil should also be concerned about heat waves in Europe (BBC News);
- 5 warnings about the extreme heat wave in Europe: it's just the beginning (Climate Observatory).
Curto Verde is a daily summary of what you need to know about the environment, sustainability and other topics linked to our survival and that of the planet.
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