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The last 8 years were the hottest years since the beginning of the records, is one of the conclusions of the report published by NASA this Thursday. By maintaining the trend, the increase of 1.5°C, the global warming ceiling of the Paris Agreements, will be reached in 10 years, and 2°C will be reached by the middle of the century.
This Thursday, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published their annual report, in which they warn of the consequences of global warming: the last 8 years were the hottest years since records began in 1880.
According to the report, the temperature of the Earth’s land and ocean surfaces was 14.7 ° C in 2021, which makes it the sixth hottest year, and that, despite the La Niña phenomenon, which causes a cooling of the Pacific waters and lower temperatures. In 2021, the Earth was about 1.1°C warmer than average at the start of the industrial revolution.
According to experts, the year 2022 will probably not be much hotter than 2021, but 2023 could reach a new record, although it is very difficult to predict temperatures. Furthermore, during the 2020s, we are likely to exceed the 1.5°C limit.
By mid-century, we could see a 2°C rise
In 2015, the international community committed to preventing the global temperature from rising by 1.5°C above pre-industrial records through various environmental measures. However, due to response delays, it is likely that the 2°C limit will also be exceeded by mid-century.
According to Edil Sepúlveda, a NASA scientist, exceeding that point “does not mean that there will be cataclysms” that same day, but there will be areas of the planet where it will be “very difficult to live.”
A gap between what is done and what should be done
There is a huge gap between the path the world is on and the scenario needed to keep warming below 2°C. One solution would be to extract the CO2 from the air and bury it, but the cost could be as high as 5 billion dollars for a single year. These extraction scenarios will obviously not take place.
The report ends by denouncing global leaders who continue to affirm that it is possible to keep global warming below 1.5°C, although reaching an increase of 2°C is practically certain if concrete measures are not taken to curb global warming. .
According to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, “The science leaves no room for doubt. Climate change is the existential threat of our time (…) Underscoring the need for bold action to safeguard the future of our country.” , and of all mankind”.
Those consequences are already being felt today. Without going any further, the summer of 2021 was the hottest in the northwestern United States, and in South America, last December was the hottest month since the beginning of records. Thus, heat waves, forest fires and droughts are experienced.
Rising temperatures also drive more steam into the atmosphere, creating heavy rain and flooding just as happened in Europe last year. According to NASA, 2021 was the record year for the amount of heat stored in the upper levels of the ocean, beating the 2020 mark.
With EFE and NASA
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