Sheepskin coats and sleds are long gone. We don't have much snow here. Hard frost is also rare. Winter – a real winter – happens, but almost exclusively in the south of the country. In other regions there are rather winter episodes. The climate is changing – before our eyes and to our detriment.
Szczecin, Gdańsk, Poznań and Wrocław – on December 29, in all these cities, the temperature at noon was a few degrees above zero, there was no snow. In all these places, over the last ten years, 20 to 23 days of the so-called real winter. Mostly in Szczecin, although the lowest temperature was there today.
Not only Poles miss snow. Snow is important, for example, for plants, which could store water better and longer thanks to it. However, there is no snow in most of the country and probably will not be for a long time.
Even if there are frosts or snow, these are likely to be episodes. Poland was ranked 5th on the list of 123 countries in terms of lost winter (i.e. frosty) days, prepared by the Climate Central organization. The effects of these changes are visible to the naked eye. This is just one of the many consequences of anthropogenic climate change, i.e. that caused by humans.
– Climate change is natural, but human activities have made it galloping, says Grzegorz Walijewski from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management-PIB.
According to NASA data, since the end of the 19th century, the average temperature of the Earth's surface has increased by just over one degree Celsius. In the last decade alone, it has increased by 0.2 degrees. What's more, the past year may also turn out to be record-breaking.
– In Poland, 2024 will be warmer by an average of 2.2 degrees Celsius. This is significantly warmer than in the last thirty years, emphasizes Kamila Harenda from the University of Life Sciences in Poznań.
Consequences of climate changeTVN24
Plants bloom in December or have other problems
Although there is snow in Zakopane, the first buds appeared on the trees in Szczecin, and this is no exception.
– At Christmas, roses bloomed in my parents' garden – says Dr. Paulina Sobiesiak-Penszko, director of the sustainable development and climate policy program of the Institute of Public Affairs.
Ultimately, the lack of winters will impact tourism and food prices. – Because the lack of snow cover in winter means more and more water problems in spring and summer, when plants need water – explains Dr. Paulina Sobiesiak-Penszko.
In addition to extreme droughts, we can expect further floods as well as increased sea and ocean levels. However, we are not powerless, experts remind us. It's not just about saving water or fuel consumption.
– We can do something too. We are consumers, we have a certain leverage, we are voters, we have leverage – emphasizes Prof. Szymon Malinowski, atmospheric physicist, member of the Problem Committee on the Climate Crisis at the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
A force worth using for a just cause.
Main photo source: Fakty TVN