10/08/2021
So, the Earth's average temperature has increased about 2 degrees Fahrenheit during the 20th century. What's the big deal? Two degrees may sound like a small amount, but it's an unusual event in our planet's recent history.
Earth's climate record, preserved in tree rings, ice cores, and coral reefs, shows that the global average temperature is stable over long periods of time. Furthermore, small changes in temperature correspond to enormous changes in the environment like:
1) More Droughts and Heat Waves
2) Hurricanes Will Become Stronger and More Intense
3) Changes in Precipitation Patterns
4) Frost-free Season (and Growing Season) will Lengthen
5) Sea Level Will Rise 1-8 feet by 2100
6) Arctic Likely to Become Ice-Free
For example, at the end of the last ice age, when the Northeast United States was covered by more than 3,000 feet of ice, average temperatures were only 5 to 9 degrees cooler than today.
This graph illustrates the change in global surface temperature relative to 1951-1980 average temperatures. Nineteen of the warmest years have occurred since 2000, with the exception of 1998.
The year 2020 tied with 2016 for the warmest year on record since record-keeping began in 1880 (source: NASA/GISS). This research is broadly consistent with similar constructions prepared by the Climatic Research Unit and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
I'll end this with a quote from Kate Marvel, Climate Scientist 's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS):
"As a climate scientist, I’d like you to know: I don’t have hope.
I have something better: certainty.
We know exactly what’s causing climate change. We can absolutely 1) avoid the worst and 2) build a better world in the process."
Let's get to work!
Data source: NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), IPCC.