Global Warming? Now "Global Boiling"!
Aug. 1st, 2023 01:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerLast week came an alarming announcement from the head of the UN. “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived,” UN Secretary General António Guterres declared, as scientists confirmed that July 2023 was on track to be the hottest month on record— and possibly in more than 100,000 years. Example news coverage: Guardian article 27 Jul 2023; Washington Post article 29 Jul 2023.
It's important to note that July's record didn't just edge out the previous record. It's well over it. In climate change discussions a figure of 1.5° C is often used as the goal to strive for— as in, let's work to limit the increase to 1.5° over pre-industrial levels. Well, July's average was 1.5° over those levels. So, that limit we could stay beneath if we started working hard today? Forget about making it; we're already there. And it looks like we're still accelerating as we go screaming past it.
It's important to note that July's record didn't just edge out the previous record. It's well over it. In climate change discussions a figure of 1.5° C is often used as the goal to strive for— as in, let's work to limit the increase to 1.5° over pre-industrial levels. Well, July's average was 1.5° over those levels. So, that limit we could stay beneath if we started working hard today? Forget about making it; we're already there. And it looks like we're still accelerating as we go screaming past it.
