After a 13-month period of record-breaking heat, the streak finally ended last month, with July 2024 narrowly missing surpassing the heat of July the previous year, according to the European climate agency Copernicus. While the slight decrease in temperatures may provide some relief from extreme heat, scientists caution that the underlying cause of the rising temperatures, climate change, remains unchanged.
Here are five key points to take away from the recently concluded 13-month heat streak:
1. Continuation of Extremes:
Although the slight cooling can be partly attributed to the weakening of El Niño, a natural warming pattern in the Pacific Ocean, the overall trend of rising temperatures will persist. The main driver of global warming, the release of greenhouse gases from activities like burning fossil fuels, continues unabated, ensuring that extreme weather events such as severe storms, heatwaves, and prolonged droughts will endure.
2. Warm Oceans:
Amidst the focus on rising temperatures on land, the warming of oceans is a critical factor. Oceans have absorbed significant amounts of CO2, playing a vital role in regulating the climate. However, warm oceans have dire consequences, leading to the depletion of marine life and the formation of powerful hurricanes. Recent studies have shown that ocean temperatures, especially in regions like the Great Barrier Reef, are the warmest in centuries.
3. Unlikelihood of Achieving 1.5 Degrees Celsius:
Despite the global goal set in the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial era, recent trends suggest that achieving this target is highly improbable. The current global warming is around 1.2 degrees Celsius, with some regions already exceeding the 1.5-degree mark.
4. Governments’ Struggles:
The past 13 months have highlighted the challenges governments worldwide face in helping their citizens adapt to escalating temperatures. Developing nations, lacking adequate infrastructure and resources, are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, which can have fatal consequences. Even developed countries are grappling with such issues, including the dilemma of high energy costs hindering the use of air conditioning.
5. Focus on Solutions:
The urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of human activity has been emphasized by the prolonged heatwave. Established technologies such as solar, wind, and hydropower offer solutions to combat climate change. While progress has been made, significant obstacles remain in transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, requiring substantial investments and a shift in global energy policies.
