28 Nov 2012

GENEVA / STATE OF THE GLOBAL CLIMATE

The last eleven years (2001–2011) were among the top warmest years on record and the first ten months of 2012 indicate that this year will not be an exception, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned today in its annual statement on the world's weather. CH UNTV

Posted at: November 28, 2012 1:05 pm

Duration: 02:04

Available in: SD

DOWNLOAD

Full script

STORY: GENEVA / STATE OF THE GLOBAL CLIMATE
TRT: 2.04
SOURCE: CH UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 28 NOVEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – DATE UNKNOWN, GENEVA SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations

28 NOVEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Michel Jarraud, Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization: 
"This period January to October is among the ten warmest but now it is the ninth warmest period since records began in 1850."
3. Pan, photographers to journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Michel Jarraud, Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization: 
"The main message is that it confirms the trend to a warmer planet."
5. Close up, journalist 
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Michel Jarraud, Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization: 
"The melting of the ice was much bigger than in previous years it is the record melting of the Arctic ice."
7. Zoom out, journalist reading
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Michel Jarraud, Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization: 
"The message here is that the trend is not only continuing but accelerating with respect to the melting of the Arctic ice."
9. Med shot, journalist
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Michel Jarraud, Secretary General World Meteorological Organization: 
"2012 has been marked by a number of extreme events and let me start with heat waves.  There were warm spells which resulted in breaking - record breaking temperature in many parts of the world.  In Europe, the Middle East, in North Africa, in parts of South America, in USA, nearly fifteen thousand new daily records were set for high temperature in USA this year."
11. Cutaway, Michel Jarraud on podium
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Michel Jarraud, Secretary General World Meteorological Organization: 
"Many parts of West Africa had  over 40 percent or more above normal rainfall between July and October and exceptional flooding took place in Niger, Nigeria, there was very severe flooding in Chad as well."
13. Med shot, cameraman

STORYLINE:

The last eleven years (2001–2011) were among the top warmest years on record, and the first ten months of 2012 indicate that this year will not be an exception, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned today (28 November) in its annual statement on the world's weather.

The year was characterized by unusual warmth across most of the globe's land areas and a weak-to-moderate La Niña at the beginning of the year.

Overall, the 2012 global land and ocean temperature during January–October 2012 is estimated to be 0.45°C1 ±0.10°C2 (0.81°F ±0.18°F) above the 1961–1990 average. This is the ninth warmest such period since records began in 1850, according to WMO.

WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud told journalists in Geneva that "the main message is that it confirms the trend to a warmer planet". He said climate change was "taking place before our eyes" and would continue to do so as a result of the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which he said had risen constantly and again reached new records.

Jarraud said the extent of Arctic sea ice had reached a new record low. The alarming rate of its melt this year highlighted the far-reaching changes taking place on Earth's oceans and biosphere.

He noted that many regions have faced extremes of droughts, floods and heat waves. The number of cyclones worldwide was around normal but some, such as Hurricane Sandy, which lashed the Caribbean and the United States, were especially devastating.