Meteorologist predicts a stormy Christmas – in 2050

In the build-up to its Climate Summit in New York on 23 September, the United Nations is calling attention to the climate issue around the world with fake weather reports. “Temperatures between eight and nine degrees. A fickle day with periods of rain and hail, and even thunderstorms. And be careful: there will be storm winds.”

That was the forecast delivered by Belgian meteorologist Jill Peeters yesterday evening on VTM. Peeters didn’t predict the weather for today or this weekend, but for Christmas Day, 2050.

Although a joke, it’s also deadly serious: The weather report, with abnormally high temperatures for December and unpredictable storm conditions, could be accurate if we continue pumping greenhouses gases into the Earth’s atmosphere at the current rate.

That’s why the UN has asked weather forecasters from around the world to make their viewers (even more) aware of the seriousness of climate change. “If we don’t act now, will this weather report really become true?” asked Peeters. “Global warming is a scientific fact. In the past 14 years were 13 of the warmest years since the beginning of recorded weather conditions.”