Xavi Segura: "The climate crisis can be reversed"

"The Montreal Protocol agreed in the late eighties to reduce and eliminate gases that destroyed the ozone layer. All UN member states approved it, and agreed to end the use of these substances, which implied the change or elimination of products such as some aerosols or air conditioners. The result has been very satisfactory: the hole in the ozone layer is closing, and between the years 2040 and 2066 it will close completely. This can reduce global warming by up to 0.5 °C", remarked Xavi Segura, head of Meteorology at ARA, in the talk he gave in the majestic auditorium of the Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona, an activity of Club Prèmium open to all subscribers.

"It is a hopeful precedent for the fight against climate change, if we go for it," Segura said. "That's why, although it is not easy at all –and the current political situation does not help–, I believe that the climate crisis can be reversed".

"We have to adapt cities, which must have more green spaces and more shade, buildings must be prepared, well insulated, we must make responsible use of water – at some point we will be in need again –, we must prioritize the use of non-polluting means of transport (trains, bicycles, walking...), buy local products – so that there is less carbon footprint – and have environmental awareness", remarked Xavi Segura. "From ARA we fight against "}fake news; there are many about the climate crisis", he added.

Segura reinforced the talk with numerous graphs and images. He showed striking photographs of the "}Gloria" storm, of the strong and historical hailstorm that took place in La Bisbal d'Empordà on August 30, 2022, "a phenomenon more typical of other areas of the planet, such as Australia or the central and southern USA – since then, every year there is an extraordinary hailstorm in Catalonia; with warmer sea water, more are caused –", and of the work done by Josep Pascual, who for many years has been manually taking the sea temperature in L'Estartit – very valuable data and the oldest in the Mediterranean, which NASA itself has recognized as reliable.

"In recent years, we are leaving behind the global warming limits set in the Paris Agreement for this century," stressed Xavi Segura, and provided a lot of data: sea level in Catalonia has risen more than 10 centimeters since the nineties, which has caused about 15 meters of beach retreat in the Estartit area; with current emissions, by the end of the century, the annual temperature could be more than 5 or 6 °C above the average in some parts of the country; there is likely to be a 20% reduction in rainfall by the end of the century in Catalonia. "All this could change if there were a reduction in gas emissions".

"The rains of recent months have been more intense due to the climate crisis. High pressures –anticyclones– have located in northern Europe, and have caused an atmospheric block that has diverted the usual storm currents towards lower latitudes, but in addition we have had a maritime flow coming from a marine heatwave in the western Atlantic; the humidity and warm water have caused more intense and abundant rains than normal," he stressed. "The last four years have been the warmest in history. For example, 2025 left us with records: the record for consecutive days of heatwave was broken (sixteen days in a row)," highlighted Xavi Segura, and commented that we will increasingly hear about torrid nights in summer, which is when the minimum temperature does not drop below 30 °C at night. An exceptional and not at all common occurrence until now in our country.

The event was presented by Jordi Isern, president of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts, and was very participatory. One of the subscribers proposed that, once a year, coinciding with World Meteorological Day – which is celebrated on March 23rd – the newspaper news – including opinions – be complemented with the environmental impact it entails.

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