Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the Geneva-based WMO, said: "We have always had extreme weather events, but because of climate change, we have started seeing them more often and they are more intense." "Without climate change we wouldn't have observed such high temperatures in western parts of Canada and the U.S., so that's a clear indication of climate change," he said. Asked about whether he expected more natural disasters over the next couple of years, Taalas said: "Climate change will anyhow continue for the coming decades. "That means that we have to also adapt to climate change, the most important thing is to mitigate climate change, to stop using fossil fuels and also pay attention to our diet." Taalas also stressed that no region in the world was safe from the negative impacts from extreme weather events and natural disasters.

Source: The Nation July 20, 2021 11:26 UTC