The latest WMO report on the state of the global climate shows that the past eight years have been the eight warmest on record, with sea level rise and ocean warming reaching new highs. Record levels of greenhouse gases have caused “planetary-scale changes in land, ocean and atmosphere.” The organization says its report, published before this year's Mother Earth Day, echoes the call by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for "deeper and faster emission reductions with the aim of limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius", as well as "massively increased investments into adaptation and resilience, especially for the most vulnerable countries and communities that did the least to cause the crisis.” WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas said that amid rising greenhouse gas emissions and a changing climate, “people around the world continues to be seriously affected by extreme weather and climate events". He stressed that last year, "persistent drought in East Africa, record rainfall in Pakistan and record heat waves in China and Europe affected tens of millions of people, caused food insecurity, fueled mass migration, and cost billions of dollars in losses and damages”. The WMO stresses the importance of investing in climate monitoring and early warning systems to help mitigate the humanitarian consequences of extreme weather. The report also points out that Today, improved technologies make the transition to renewable energy "cheaper and more accessible than ever before."