Extreme Weather Events in 2022 Caused by Climate Change, Part 1 of 4

In 2022 many parts of the world went through scorching summer days when the temperature hit record highs. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information report, the summer of 2022 was the hottest on record for Europe and China, the second-hottest for North America and Asia, and the fifth-hottest June-to-August period for planet Earth since record-keeping began in 1880.

No official record exists, but it’s estimated that thousands of people have died as 21 countries across Europe endured unusually high temperatures amid an unprecedented and prolonged heat wave during the summer of 2022. Spain's Ministry of Health reported that more than a thousand people died in this year's second heatwave as temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius. France's national statistics institute believes heat waves are likely to have caused more than 11,000 deaths in France this summer between July and August. Dry, hot weather also caused a melted glacier to collapse in Italy, killing 11 people.

After months of droughts, from June to August 2022 Pakistan next received a total of 390.7 mm of rain, nearly 190 percent more than its 30-year average. Significant rainfall during the 2022 monsoon season and the glacial lake outburst caused devastating floods and landslides, affecting millions of Pakistanis.

“The Indus river, which runs through the country from the north in the Himalayas down to into the Arabian sea, is actually prone to flooding in the months of July and August. But this is unprecedented, and one reason why is rising temperatures. Now Pakistan is home to more than 7000 glaciers, more than any country in the world outside the north and south poles.”

We pray for Pakistan and countries worldwide to quickly act to mitigate global warming by adopting a vegan diet and a sustainable lifestyle, as advised by our Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai. “We have enough problems, but we have solutions to this problem. It might not be that early, but it's still not too late. We still can rescue our home, planet home. Number one solution is vegan, organic vegan. Veganism will save our world.”