By Alice Castelani and Thauan Santos |
The year of 2020 was marked by climate extremes, highlighting the worsening of global warming. The hottest months in history were recorded throughout 2020. Examples of extreme weather in different regions of world were observed. Since the early days of 2020, Australia, Siberia and California registered record numbers of wildfires. In Brazil, the Pantanal and the Amazon region also suffered with the large number of fires in the second-half of the year. From Antartica to the Arctic, the highest temperatue peaks of all time were notified. This scenario highlights the need for more sustainable development models.
Impacts on Defense and Security: The worsening of climate problems sparks a warning of possible disputes for resources in the near future. The problems related to climate change have an impact on the lives of the entire world’s population, which may result in the scarcity of basic resources such as water and food. This context can lead to disputes over regions rich in scarce natural resources, as in Brazil’s case.
Source: WATTS, J. Floods, storms and searing heat: 2020 in extreme weather. The Guardian, published on 12/31/2020. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/30/floods-storms-and-searing-heat-2020-in-extreme-weather#:~:text=This%20year%20has%20broken%20a%20series%20of%20unwelcome%20weather%20records.&text=But%202020%20has%20also%20demonstrated,have%20all%20occurred%20since%202014.