How significant is the impact? Russia is taking action against Japan, and the world is rushing to grill! UN Emergency Warning: Out of Control! Europe's "Great Artery" is in crisis, with average temperature | Global | Great Artery

The Earth has a high fever, which is rare in history.

Global temperatures have reached a new historical high. On July 7th local time, data released by the National Weather Service showed that on July 6th, the average temperature on Earth soared to 17.23 degrees Celsius, breaking the record for the highest global average temperature since records began in 1979. UN Secretary General Guterres has issued a warning that climate change is out of control, and if key measures continue to be delayed, the world will enter a catastrophic situation.

Due to sustained high temperatures, the Rhine River, known as the "artery" of the European economy, is issuing an alarm. According to data released by the German Federal Government this week, the navigation mark of Kaub, a key waypoint west of Frankfurt, is at its lowest level in at least 30 years. In addition, the Panama Canal, the throat of international shipping, has also been plunged into low water levels due to months of historic drought in Central America.

In addition, the topic of Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge into the sea is continuously attracting attention from all parties. The Russian side announced that in order to prevent water biological resources and their products with high concentrations of radioactive nuclides produced by Japan from entering Russian territory, it will strengthen radiation inspections of imported seafood from Japan.

United Nations Emergency Warning

Global temperatures have reached a new historical high.

On July 7th local time, data released by the National Weather Service of the United States showed that on July 6th, the daily average temperature on Earth soared to 17.23 degrees Celsius, breaking the record for the highest global average temperature recorded by the National Environmental Forecasting Center since 1979.

In just four days, the global average temperature has set three new highs, namely 17.01 degrees Celsius on July 3, 17.18 degrees Celsius on July 4, and 17.23 degrees Celsius on July 6.

Jennifer Francis, a senior researcher at the Woodville Climate Research Center in the United States, said in an interview that this week's global average temperature is likely to be the highest in at least 100000 years.

According to The Guardian on the 7th, the past 7 days have been the highest ever week for global average temperatures. For this sustained high temperature, UN Secretary General Guterres warned that "climate change is out of control.".

According to the report, Guterres also said, "If we continue to delay the key measures needed, I believe the world will enter a catastrophic situation, as shown by the past two temperature records.".

In the latest assessment report, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, a climate monitoring agency under the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts, found that June 2023 was the hottest month on record, with an average temperature of 61.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

July is usually the hottest month of the year, and the constantly refreshing high temperature figures in recent years seem to indicate that the global temperature under consideration is "not the hottest, only hotter.".

According to scientist Rod from a non-profit environmental data analysis organization, the recent increase in global average temperature is caused by long-term global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions, as well as short-term temperature increases caused by the El Ni ñ o phenomenon. The global average temperature will continue to rise in the next month and a half.

The United Nations World Meteorological Organization has warned that the occurrence of El Ni ñ o will "significantly increase the possibility of refreshing high temperature points and triggering more extreme high temperatures in many parts of the world and oceans.".

Europe's "main artery" urgently needed

Due to sustained high temperatures, the water level of the Rhine River, known as the "artery" of the European economy, has once again dropped to a historically low level.

According to data released by the German Federal Government this week, the navigation mark of Kaub, a key waypoint west of Frankfurt, is at its lowest level in at least 30 years.

The Rhine River is crucial to the European economy, connecting Germany, Switzerland, and the largest seaport in Europe - Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It undertakes a large amount of cargo transportation and is therefore known as the "lifeline" of the European economy. Among them, companies such as chemical giant BASF and steel manufacturer ThyssenKrupp rely on this waterway to transport the raw materials needed by their factories.

Under the global heatwave, the water level of the Rhine River has become urgent, which is not an exception. The Panama Canal, the throat of international shipping, has also been plunged into low water levels due to months of historic drought in Central America.

The Panama Canal is a sluice style canal, with a maximum height of 26 meters above sea level. When ships pass through, they use the sluice to raise or lower the water level, and each time 200 million liters of fresh water are discharged into the ocean. One of the important sources of these freshwater is Lake Katong, which mainly relies on precipitation to supplement its water source. Currently, the water level is continuously decreasing due to drought.

Affected by water shortage, the Panama Canal Authority has lowered the maximum draft of large ships multiple times this year, from 15.24 meters to 13.41 meters, and will continue to lower it in the future. Increasing restrictions on the draft depth of cargo ships means that some container ships may need to reduce their cargo capacity in order to pass, resulting in a significant increase in logistics costs. At present, several shipping companies that rely on the Panama Canal route have raised the transportation price of individual containers by $300 to $500.

The Panama Canal authorities have warned that the El Ni ñ o event may further worsen the situation.

On July 8th, Reference News Network quoted the Buenos Aires Economic News Network in Argentina as reporting that the current heatwave is creating an unprecedented climate phenomenon: sixth generation fires. This type of fire refers to rapidly developing and aggressive fires, with flames moving at a speed of over 6 kilometers per hour, which is 6 to 12 times the speed of ordinary fires, also known as "fire storms".

Russia's "Hands on Japan"

On July 8th, Observer Network quoted the International News Agency as reporting that due to Japan's preparation to discharge the treated nuclear contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea, the Russian Consumer Rights Protection and Public Welfare Supervision Bureau has strengthened radiation inspections on fish and seafood products produced in Japan.

According to the report, in order to prevent water biological resources and their products with high concentrations of radioactive nuclides produced in Japan from entering Russia, the Russian Consumer Rights Protection and Public Welfare Supervision Bureau has instructed to strengthen health and quarantine measures for the above-mentioned products entering the Russian Federation and strengthen circulation control.

The department stated that currently, if there is a statement issued by a Japanese regulatory agency proving that the concentration of radioactive substances in food is lower than the current legal standards, and the statement must be accompanied by a certificate of radioactive cesium content in order to allow Japanese food imports.

According to Kyodo News Agency, on July 7th, all the necessary conditions for Tokyo Electric Power Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to start discharging nuclear wastewater into the sea were met in terms of equipment. The Japanese government plans to set a public notice period and begin emissions after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a relevant cabinet meeting, with the start date likely in August.

According to the report, Kishida stated on the 7th that he will continue to provide detailed explanations to domestic and foreign authorities on measures to ensure safety and image damage. At present, the policy of setting the emission time around summer has not changed.