Since 2000, New Zealand has had seven of its 10 warmest winters on record. 2021 was no exception with temperatures 1.32 degrees above average between June and August. A sad record linked to global warming which dethrones the one established last year, said the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
The last time the archipelago recorded two consecutive winters with record mild temperatures dates back to 1970 and 1971. Now, these two years would be respectively 18th and 13th in the ranking, which dates back to 1909.
The main factor carbon dioxide
“What was considered unusually hot at the time is no longer considered unusual,” said Nava Fedaeff, meteorologist at NIWA. Climate phenomena have played a role in those record two years, she says, but what makes the real difference is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
A station near Wellington recorded an atmospheric CO2 level of 320 parts per million (ppm), a unit of measurement used to quantify air pollution, in the early 1970s. This level is now at 412 ppm, an increase of over 30%.
State of “climate emergency”
Last year, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared a state of “climate emergency” before Parliament, stressing the need for rapid action in this area for the benefit of future generations.
New Zealand is among the countries that have pledged to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The country, with a population of less than five million, has also pledged to produce 100% energy. renewable by 2035.