Researchers from the United States space agency NASA warned this Monday that July stands as the hottest month on record since measurements began, and the year 2024 is projected to surpass the warmth of 2023.
NASA’s executive voice, Gavin Schmidt, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, indicated at a press conference that the current trend is above what is considered abnormal. He stated that 2023 will not only be extraordinarily hot, but 2024 is expected to be even hotter.
NASA calculations show that July 2023 was 0.24 degrees Celsius warmer than any other July date and 1.18 degrees Celsius warmer than the July average from 1951 to 1980.
The five warmest joules since 1880 have occurred in the last five years, according to the institution. The previous record was July 2019.
The accompanying imagery highlights an Earth temperature anomaly and underscores the rapid change now observed.
Schmidt notes that the El Niño phenomenon is a contributing factor to the rising temperatures and suggests its effects may not yet be fully visible in the current year, with a larger event expected toward the end of the year. The biggest impact is anticipated in 2024.
He adds that there is more at play beyond El Niño, including extreme temperatures in the North Atlantic and other regions, alongside persistent sea surface temperature anomalies.
more fire
The warming trend drives heat waves, heavier rainfall events, and an increase in wildfires in regions already exposed to high temperatures.
Recent fires in Hawaii illustrate the risk, becoming among the deadliest in the last century on record for the United States, with nearly a hundred lives lost on the island of Maui.
Storm tracks are shifting northward with climate change. Hawaii has experienced less rainfall overall for more than a decade, which compounds drought-related conditions.
As a result, climate trends act as a multiplier for wildfires, and there is a general expectation that coastal landscapes will see larger and more intense bushfires over time.
Several scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) attended the briefing and emphasized the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
It was stressed that continued warming and sustained emissions will likely push these very years to colder conditions only in the distant future, compared with what lies ahead if actions are delayed.
the oceans are warming
A further consequence of global warming is the rise in ocean temperatures, as described by Carlos Del Castillo, head of the ocean ecology laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
What happens in the sea does not stay there. Warmer ocean waters feed more heat into the atmosphere, intensifying storms and raising the potential for hurricanes, Del Castillo explained.
Sea temperature increases can even contribute to more intense blizzards that defy expectations, highlighting the energy stored in the climate system.
And in the end, the rising ocean temperatures leave behind broader damage to the planetary economy. It is not only about food production but also about the impacts on trade and shipping routes that are affected by stronger storms.
The economic effects are expected to touch millions living along coastlines. Storms and hurricanes will challenge coastal infrastructure and bring more flooding, a reality already being felt in several regions.
Del Castillo reflected on his long career and the concern he feels about the world passed to younger generations, noting that knowledge and technology exist but progress in applying them has slowed.
There is a sense that this era will be judged by how swiftly society translates science into action. The urgent call remains: reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate adaptation to a warming world.
…….