The persistent El Nino phenomenon has triggered higher temperatures and unbalanced rainfall distribution across Brazil in the past few months, according to a report released by the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology on Thursday.
The report showed that many regions across Brazil have experienced record-breaking high temperatures due to El Nino from September to March, coinciding with the spring and summer seasons in the southern hemisphere.
Remarkably, the peak temperature in Brazil occurred in December last year, during the spring season, rather than the usual summer months of January or February, which climate experts say is due to the weakening of El Nino in South America since last December.
The El Nino phenomenon has doubled the rainfall in southern Brazil, particularly in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. However, in Brazil's other areas, like the Amazon rainforest in the north and the Pantanal wetlands in the central-west, temperatures have risen sharply while rainfall has decreased significantly compared to previous years.
"The impact of El Nino is that the cold fronts cannot move north, so they basically go to Rio Grande do Sul (in southern Brazil) and stay there. And you have a lot of rainfall there," said Jose Marengo, a climate change expert at the National Center for Monitoring and Warning of Natural Disasters in Brazil.
According to experts' predictions, from May to July this year, marking late autumn to early winter in Brazil, the El Nino phenomenon is expected to gradually weaken. In the second half of this year, a La Nina phenomenon is very likely to occur, reducing sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean below the average of previous years.
El Nino causes abnormal temperatures, rainfall distribution in Brazil: report
El Nino causes abnormal temperatures, rainfall distribution in Brazil: report
The China-France joint statement has injected more stability and positive energy into the turbulent world, according to a commentary published by the China Media Group (CMG) on Wednesday.
An edited English-language version of the commentary is as follows:
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron, on the occasion of Xi's state visit to France, issued on Tuesday a joint statement on the situation in the Middle East, forming a unanimous position on pressing issues in the Middle East such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Iranian nuclear issue and the Red Sea crisis.
The statement was issued at a crucial time with rich information. It reflects human conscience and the international community's demands for safeguarding fairness and justice, embodies the two countries' sense of responsibility as major countries in safeguarding world peace and stability, and injects important impetus into the resolution of hotspot issues in the Middle East.
The Palestinian issue is at the heart of the Middle East issue. The latest round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has prolonged for more than 200 days, causing appalling humanitarian disasters.
According to data from the Gaza health authorities, by Tuesday, the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip had resulted in nearly 35,000 deaths and 78,000 injuries.
Also on Tuesday, Israel announced that it had launched military operations in southern Gaza and had taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.
Many countries in the world have condemned Israel's escalation of military operations, fearing that it would lead to a larger-scale humanitarian disaster.
As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major independent countries, China and France share broad consensus on the Middle East issue.
During this state visit to France, President Xi talked about the Palestinian-Israeli issue at many occasions, emphasizing that the unabated tragedy is a test of human conscience and that the international community must take actions.
He said that the top priority is to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire, end the war as soon as possible and ensure humanitarian relief, and the fundamental way out is to implement the two-state solution.
France expressed its willingness to communicate and cooperate with China closely to jointly safeguard multilateralism, the purposes of the UN Charter and the international law.
The joint statement fully reflects the above mentioned propositions.
From condemning all violations of international humanitarian law to opposing Israel's attack on Rafah, from calling for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and the immediate and effective implementation of the relevant U.N. resolutions to reaffirming their commitment to the implementation of the two-state solution, China and France uphold a fair stance, with consensus reached at key moments of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, boosting the international community's confidence in maintaining peace, helping prevent the situation from further deteriorating and promoting the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.
In addition, the heads of state of China and France also expressed deep concern about the risks of the escalating regional situation. They reaffirmed in the joint statement their commitment to promoting a political and diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, emphasized the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and called for an immediate end to attacks on civilian ships. All these issues are closely related to peace in the Middle East.
On the day when the heads of state of China and France held talks, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, led a delegation to visit Iran.
High on the agenda is for the director-general to participate in the International Conference on Nuclear Science and Technology and hold negotiations and consultations with Iran on nuclear issues.
At the same time, armed attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have intensified, raise the overall security risks in the region.
At this pivotal moment, the joint statement of China and France is conducive to cooling down the regional tension and safeguarding maritime security and global trade. In addition, the two heads of state called for a truce during the 2024 Paris Olympics, which not only reflects their adherence to the Olympic spirit, but also aims to create an opportunity for dialog and reconciliation.
The world today is not a peaceful place. The more turbulent the world becomes, the more important it is for China and France to uphold their original aspiration in establishing diplomatic relations between them and shoulder greater responsibilities. The consensus reached by both sides on the situation in the Middle East, and the wisdom and courage demonstrated gives the world reasons to expect joint efforts from China and France in the next 60 years to bring hope to the confused world and explore the direction for human progress.
China-France joint statement injects more stability, positive energy into turbulent world: commentary
