Since way back in 1880, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) started taking names and kicking facts about the ongoing change in global climate.
In the 141 years that followed, an average has been recorded showing the ever-increasing trends of climate change. And per these averages, the Northern Hemisphere's hottest August ever recorded was this year. Just last month, actually. On par with the way, 2020 is shaping up though, right?
What's more, the global August average neatly puts us in the second spot for the hottest average recorded as a planet. It also spurred the monumental influx of climate change anomalies world-wide.
But is this a once-off occurrence?
It could be a blip in the climate watch radar...
No. Not at all. Because the previous highest record was just last year. And it destroyed the old land and ocean surface temperature average increase set in 2016 by almost 40 fold
The previous average temperature increase set in 2016 was a modest (and still terrible) global temperature hike of 0.03°C. While 2020's August smashed this benchmark with an inflated average of 1.19°C.
Here's what the progression to the previous record looks like:
These records put us in a starkly ominous position to ride out a year as one of recorded history's five hottest, so sayeth the NOAA.
The United Nations reacted to the data emploring many countries to heed the call of major scientific institutions and the mounting evidence for climate change.
The Northern Hemisphere has featured wildfires in California and the much cooler parts of the Russian tundra, as well as recent European heat spikes. Not to mention the cooler parts of Earth in the Southern hemisphere - such as Australia's east coast and Antarctica - have recorded record-breaking fires and hottest days on record respectively.
Current projections put the Arctic circle without ice in summer by the year 2035.
The saddest part is this news isn't a surprise to many.
It serves as the desert to a hefty morose meal we, as a planet, have gorged on this entire year of pandemics, social unrest, and environmental devastation to name a few.
After all, this year failed to meet EVERY biodiversity goal set in 2010 by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity by 2020 and in the past 5 decades, we've lost nearly 70% of all global wildlife populations.
With COVID-19 restrictions in the palace, it has been more than difficult to meet and rouse the scientific community with climate action meetings.
If the currently scheduled COP26 goes ahead in Scotland in November, it will be the largest and most important summit of climate change negotiations since 2015's Paris Agreement.
Without it, we continue to freefall.
#Space_Aus
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