Gradually humans are becoming red flag for the nature as March 2024 becomes tenth straight month of historic heatwave.
Since the beginning of 21st century, we became familiarized to the term ‘Global Warming’. Scientifically, it is the long-term warming of overall temperature on this planet. This has been taking place since humans learned to ignite fire. However, the rate of global warming has accelerated majorly because of the burning of fossil fuels.
In this article, we will discuss about some shocking observations about global warming and associated predictions.
The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) released a report mentioning: “The globe has now experienced 12 months with average monthly temperatures 1.58 degrees Celsius (2.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above the Paris threshold.”
Europe's climate monitor said that “March was the hottest on record and the tenth straight month of historic heat, with sea surface temperatures also hitting a shocking new high.”
“March globally was 1.68 degrees Celsius hotter than an average March between the years 1850-1900, the reference period for the pre-industrial era,” the report added.
“March 2024 averaged 14.14 degrees Celsius, exceeding the previous record from 2016 by a tenth of a degree,” according to Copernicus data. Moreover, it was around 1.7 degrees C warmer than in the late 1800s. This timeline is considered as the base as burning of fossil fuels started during that time.
Previously, the agency reported that: “In January 2024, global warming exceeded 1.5C for an entire year for the first time ever.”
On January 2024, the 12-month average hit 1.52 degrees Celsius, which is significantly higher than the average of 1850-1900 pre-industrial era. That's why, Samantha Burgess mentioned this trend as “Alarming.”
Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London's Grantham Institute told: “The main driver of the warming is fossil fuel emissions.”
Let me tell you, all the elements of nature are connected. So, one change is causing damage to another one leading to severe consequences.
Generally, rise in ocean temperature is promoting an increase in the moisture in the atmosphere. This leads to erratic weather. Scientists said: “The air can generally hold around 7% more water vapor for every 1 degree Celsius of temperature rise.”
Another important factor is El Nino weather pattern. This makes ocean surface warm. The El Nino peaked in December 2023 and January 2024.
The Deputy Director of Copernicus Climate Service (C3S), Samantha Burgess emphasized the importance of the situation: “Stopping further warming requires rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Seeing records like this — month in, month out — really shows us that our climate is changing, is changing rapidly.”
“In the narrow window that remains to stop this temporary breach of a critical threshold becoming permanent,” she added further.
According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): “The magnitude and rate of climate change and associated risks depend strongly on near-term mitigation and adaptation actions, and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages escalate with every increment of global warming.”
Anthropogenic activities have led to trapping of heat in our atmosphere and the condition is getting deteriorated every passing day. In different parts of the world, there were devastating wildfire including Venezuela, California, Southern Africa, and so on.
If we fail to reduce fossil fuel emissions, we will have to face severe global warming, wildfire, floods, and droughts.
“Earth will continue to warm and the effects will be profound,” according to NASA.
