Editing 2003 (section)

== Environment and weather ==
{{Main|2003 in the environment}}
{{See also|List of earthquakes in 2003|Tropical cyclones in 2003}}2003 tied with [[2002]] as the second hottest year on record, behind only [[1998]]. The year began during an [[El Niño]] period that continued until April. [[2003 European heatwave|A major heatwave]] occurred in Europe during the summer, causing approximately 70,000 deaths, 14,000 in France alone. Severe cold weather affected Asia, North America, and Peru. 2003 saw low precipitation, causing droughts in Australia, the United States, and Zimbabwe. The previous year's droughts in Asia were alleviated by heavy precipitation in the region.<ref name=":11">{{Cite report |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/200313 |title=Annual 2003 Global Climate Report |date=2004 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=2023-10-26 |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026144252/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/200313 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several reports were published in 2003 forecasting severe negative effects of [[global warming]]. The [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] determined that approximately one million species risked extinction if no preventative measures were implemented, and the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] determined that the fresh water access of 7 billion people would be at risk by 2050 because of global warming and other causes.<ref name=":162" />{{Rp|page=485}} Reports also warned about the potential destruction of the [[Amazon rainforest]] and provided evidence that widespread destruction of coral was taking place. The 3000-year-old Arctic [[Ward Hunt Ice Shelf]] split in September, draining the lake that it had held in place, though global warming was not the primary factor in its destruction. The oil company [[BP]] was the subject of scrutiny when one of its well-heads exploded in Alaska.<ref name=":162" />{{Rp|page=487}} The sinking of [[Soviet submarine K-159]] caused worries about leakage of its spent nuclear fuel, but no such leakage was found.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|page=83}}

Major earthquakes in 2003 included [[2003 Boumerdès earthquake|a magnitude 6.8 earthquake]] in Algeria on May 21 that killed over 2,200 people and [[2003 Bam earthquake|a magnitude 6.6 earthquake]] in Iran on December 26 that killed about 50,000 people.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=Timeline: World's deadliest earthquakes since 2000 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/6/the-worlds-deadliest-earthquakes-since-2000 |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=October 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005031552/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/6/the-worlds-deadliest-earthquakes-since-2000 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[2003 Atlantic hurricane season]] was above average in activity, including sixteen [[Tropical cyclone naming|named storms]] of which seven were hurricanes. The most severe hurricanes were [[Hurricane Fabian]], [[Hurricane Isabel]], and [[Hurricane Kate (2003)|Hurricane Kate]]. [[Tropical Storm Ana (2003)|Tropical Storm Ana]] was the first recorded North Atlantic tropical storm to occur in April, and 2003 was the first year since 1887 to have two tropical storms occur in December.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |last1=Lawrence |first1=Miles B. |last2=Avila |first2=Lixion A. |last3=Beven |first3=John L. |last4=Franklin |first4=James L. |last5=Pasch |first5=Richard J. |last6=Stewart |first6=Stacy R. |date=2005-06-01 |title=Atlantic Hurricane Season of 2003 |journal=Monthly Weather Review |language=en |volume=133 |issue=6 |pages=1744–1745 |doi=10.1175/MWR2940.1 |bibcode=2005MWRv..133.1744L |issn=1520-0493|doi-access=free }}</ref> The [[2003 Pacific typhoon season]] was slightly more intense than average, though the overall number of tropical storms was below average with 23 total storms. The most destructive typhoons were [[Typhoon Dujuan (2003)|Typhoon Dujuan]], which made landfall in [[Guangdong]], China, on September 2, and [[Typhoon Maemi]], which made landfall in South Korea on September 12.<ref name="TSR2001Summ">{{cite web |last1=Saunders |first1=Mark |last2=Lea |first2=Adam |date=2004-01-12 |title=Summary of 2002 NW Pacific Typhoon Season and Verification of Authors' Seasonal Forecasts |url=https://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/docs/TSRNWP2002Verification.pdf |website=Tropical Storm Risk |publisher=University College London |access-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703084025/http://tropicalstormrisk.com/docs/TSRNWP2002Verification.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

International agreements about the environment that came into force included the [[Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety]] on September 11, the [[Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants]] on October 23, the [[Protocol on Heavy Metals]] on December 29.<ref name=":162" />{{Rp|page=493}}

Construction began on [[MOSE]], a set of sea gates in [[Venice]] designed to prevent the city's perpetual flooding.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|page=78}} China began use of the [[Three Gorges Dam]] along the [[Yangtze]].<ref name=":162" />{{Rp|page=488}} The overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq ended his project to construct a dam that would have flooded the ruins of [[Assur]].<ref name=":162" />{{Rp|page=524}}