G7 foreign ministers meet in Paris to address Middle East, Ukraine crises
G7 foreign ministers began talks in Paris on tensions between the US and Iran, security in the Strait of Hormuz, and support for Ukraine, with US Secretary of State attending.
The Middle East confronts worsening water scarcity despite recent unusually heavy rainfalls, according to the United Nations. A powerful El Nino could exacerbate extreme weather conditions by 2027, warns the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The organization's 2026 State of the Climate update, released at the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey, highlights the unpredictable weather patterns in the already water-scarce region.
Although the recent rainfall extended from Eastern Europe to Central Asia, it has not alleviated the region's long-standing water problems. The Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia continued to face water shortages in 2025, with groundwater supplies under strain. Globally, 42% of assessed areas had below-normal freshwater storage in 2025, compared to the long-term average of 25%.
The WMO's Secretary General, Celeste Saulo, warns that El Nino will release stored heat, intensifying weather events like heatwaves, tropical cyclones, and rainstorms. Since 2014, the amount of water stored on land has been declining worldwide, with the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia among the regions experiencing persistent water shortages.
El Nino, caused by unusually warm waters in the Pacific Ocean, could become one of the strongest on record, bringing more extreme heat and severe weather in 2027. Global temperatures have already reached 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels, putting the year on track to be one of the hottest ever recorded. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasizes the urgent need for faster emission cuts, a just transition from fossil fuels, and financial support for vulnerable countries.
Sea levels have reached record highs, with a significant increase in recent decades due to melting glaciers and ice sheets, as well as the expansion of seawater from warming oceans. Nearly 900 million people, or about 11% of the world's population, live in low-lying coastal areas vulnerable to rising seas and flooding.
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