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A30 world news
Diahuebs 29 september 2022

Heat wave led to unprecedented melt of Swiss glaciers

(AP) — Switzerland's
glaciers are melting like The report issued Wednesday
never before, an academic chronicles in detail the dam-
study released Wednesday age across the Swiss Alps:
found, with their ice vol- Over 6 meters (19.6 feet) of
ume declining by 6% this ice melted this year on the
year amid rising concerns Konkordiaplatz summit in
about global warming and the Great Aletsch Glacier in
a summer heat wave that the south, near the Italian
swept across Europe. border.

The Swiss Academy of Sci- Small glaciers like Pizol in
ences reported that the the east near Liechtenstein,
shrinkage of ice in the coun- Vadret dal Corvatsch near St.
try's glaciers topped a previ- Moritz in the southeast, and
ous record retreat nearly a Schwarzbachfirn in central
generation ago. Switzerland have "practically
disappeared," the team said.
"2022 was a disastrous year
for Swiss glaciers: all ice melt Elsewhere in Europe, the Ba-
records were smashed by varian Academy of Sciences
the great dearth of snow in in Germany said the ice sheet
winter and continuous heat on the Southern Schneefern-
waves in summer," the acad- says there's "zero chance" along, but now they are al- then blanketed many parts of er in the Alps melted so much
emy said in a statement. the glaciers will return for ready here." Europe in the spring, causing this summer that it could no
decades — at best — given the snow to absorb more so- longer be considered a gla-
The academy based its report current projections for global Switzerland faced an "un- lar heat. A spike in summer cier — leaving Germany now
on data collected by Glamos, temperatures. lucky combination of factors" temperatures across Europe with only four glaciers.
the Swiss glacier-monitoring this year that led to the big further intensified the glacial
network. Switzerland has the "We have a series reaching melt, Huss said. Snow cover melt. Huss said that while people
greatest volume of glaciers of back for more than 100 years, in the Swiss Alps was excep- are not acting quickly enough
any country in Europe. and we have never seen any- tionally light, particularly in The findings come on top of to curb global warning, he
thing that is comparable to the southeast, meaning that another study released last thinks the world is waking up
Matthias Huss, a glaciologist this year," he said by phone. the glaciers had less natural month showing that Swit- to the threat and the need to
with the Federal Polytech- "It's something that has been protection from the heat. zerland's 1,400 glaciers have reduce emissions of green-
nic Institute in Zurich who expected for the future that lost more than half their total house gases that trap heat in
heads the Glamos program, such extremes might come A dust drift from the Sahara volume since the early 1930s. the atmosphere.

ADB to devote $14B to help ease food crisis in Asia-Pacific

(AP) — The Asian Devel- help the most vulnerable, In a recent update, the bank climate change amplifies ex- shortages next year.
opment Bank said Tues- particularly women. downgraded its forecast for treme weather, hurting har-
day it will devote at least growth in the region to 4.3% vests and triggering migra- In just one example, in Paki-
$14 billion through 2025 In opening the ADB meet- from an earlier estimate of tion, Asakawa noted. stan, massive floods this
to help ease a worsening ing, Asakawa noted that the 5.2%. Next year's outlook is summer have wiped out large
food crisis in the Asia-Pa- economic outlook has wors- for 4.9% annual growth. Last week, the U.N. food swaths of crops, adding to
cific. ened with the Russian in- chief warned the world is worries over food shortages.
vasion of Ukraine, soaring Food insecurity threatens to facing "a perfect storm on
The development lender said prices for many commodi- undo decades of progress and top of a perfect storm," urg- Even before the floods, some
it plans a comprehensive pro- ties and a harsher economic has worsened with the strife ing donors, particularly Gulf 38 million Pakistanis, more
gram of support to help the environment thanks to rising in Ukraine, a key supplier nations and billionaires, to than 16% of the population,
1.1 billion people in the re- interest rates and weakening of grain, oil and fertilizer to give a few days of profits to were living in moderate or
gion who lack healthy diets currencies for many develop- many countries in the region. tackle a fertilizer supply crisis severe food insecurity, uncer-
due to poverty and soaring ing economies. The situation will worsen as to prevent widespread food tain they could obtain food
food prices. or at times going without eat-
ing, according to the World
The Manila, Philippines- Health Organization. Nearly
based ADB made the an- 18% of children were acutely
nouncement during its an- malnourished.
nual meeting.
Pakistan's economy already
The plan calls for improving was reeling from mounting
long-term food security by debt problems and soaring
strengthening farming and prices. The blow to the food
food supplies to cope with supply and incomes will tip
climate change and loss of those populations deeper
biodiversity. The ADB said into hunger, U.N. agencies
the funds will go to both ex- have warned.
isting and new projects span-
ning farming, food produc- The coronavirus pandemic
tion and distribution, water had already pushed 100 mil-
resources management and lion more people into hun-
social supports. ger, the ADB estimates. A
10% increase in food price
Asakawa said that in the inflation could push another
short-term, support will be 64 million into poverty, it
targeted at and designed to says.