STORY: Climate change impacts accelerate in 2024, urgent actions needed
SHOOTING TIME: Earlier footage
DATELINE: Dec. 18, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:54
LOCATION: GENEVA, Switzerland/Athens/London/Paris/Madrid/Rome/Berlin/Sarajevo
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of WMO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
2. STANDUP 1 (English): MA RUXUAN, Xinhua correspondent
3. various of wildfire in Greece
4. various of people in heat waves in European countries
5. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CLARE NULLIS, WMO media officer
6. various of flood-affected areas in Valencia, Spain
7. SOUNDBITE 2 (Catalan): OCTAVI QUINTANA, Director of the Prima research platform
8. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): MANOJ JOSHI, Professor of Climate Dynamics from University of East Anglia
9. STANDUP 2 (English): MA RUXUAN, Xinhua correspondent
10. SOUNDBITE 4 (Catalan): OCTAVI QUINTANA, Director of the Prima research platform
11. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): VIOLETA BULC, Former EU Commissioner for Transport and vice-chair of the Europe-Asia Center
12. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): FERDINAND DUDENHOEFFER, Director of the Center for Automotive Research in Bochum, Germany

STORYLINE:

STANDUP 1 (English): MA RUXUAN, Xinhua correspondent
"According to a report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), (the year 2024) is on track to be the warmest year on record. Greenhouse gas levels are at a record high, sea level rise is accelerating, and extreme weather events have caused major loss of life and livelihoods around the world."

According to the WMO, prolonged and severe heatwaves have hit every continent.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CLARE NULLIS, WMO media officer
"The extreme heat, which continued throughout July, with really, really, really devastating impacts on communities, on people's health, on ecosystems, also on economies."

In October, the catastrophic DANA storm struck Spain, leaving over 200 dead.

Countries such as Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Romania have also experienced devastating floods.

Experts said that the escalating extreme weather in Europe is a warning sign of the growing impact of climate change.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Catalan): OCTAVI QUINTANA, Director of the Prima research platform
"The only positive thing about the DANA storm in Valencia is that it has made many people aware that climate change is not a problem for future generations but a problem now."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): MANOJ JOSHI, Professor of Climate Dynamics from University of East Anglia
"Events like this are very rare. They are freak events. But the amount of rain that has come down, that's consistent with the effects of climate change. So, it's an event whose magnitude has very likely been made worse by the effects of climate change. There's evidence that they're increasing in severity."

STANDUP 2 (English): MA RUXUAN, Xinhua correspondent
"Fifty years ago, the zero-degree level sat at around 600 meters above sea level. Today, with warmer winters, the level has risen to around 850 meters. Climate change is no doubt one of the pressing threats of human civilizations. Experts and scholars have called for immediate and serious actions globally."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Catalan): OCTAVI QUINTANA, Director of the Prima research platform
"Solutions to the problems we're seeing will come from the ability of all of us together to find creative and innovative solutions to face this problem of climate change that I'd say is, if not the biggest, one of the biggest (problems) facing humanity right now."

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): VIOLETA BULC, Former EU Commissioner for Transport and vice-chair of the Europe-Asia Center
"I feel that it is time for the world to wake up and make everything possible for working together, when we have this beautiful shared home, which we call Earth, and I feel that Europe and China can lead the way."

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): FERDINAND DUDENHOEFFER, Director of the Center for Automotive Research in Bochum, Germany
"The green world is a world which we cannot do by ourselves in Germany, and in Europe, we are too weak. We need coupling, we need partnering. And China is very important in that process."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Geneva, Switzerland/Athens/London/Paris/Madrid/Rome/Berlin/Sarajevo.
(XHTV)