All articles tagged with #climate extremes
Earth's climate has experienced a vast range of temperatures and conditions over the past half-billion years, driven primarily by atmospheric CO2 levels, with periods of extreme heat and cold that have shaped the evolution and survival of animal life. Modern climate change, caused by rapid CO2 emissions, risks pushing the planet beyond its historical bounds, threatening the biosphere.
A new report published in the journal BioScience warns that 20 out of 35 planetary vital signs used to track climate change are at new extremes, indicating the potential collapse of natural and socioeconomic systems. The vital signs include ice sheet melt, greenhouse gas emissions, meat production, tree cover loss, and billion-dollar flood events. Experts emphasize the need to scale back fossil fuel infrastructure and address the root problem of humanity's unsustainable consumption. While some positive steps have been taken, such as divestment from the fossil fuel industry and the growth of renewable energy consumption, the report highlights the urgent need for global action to mitigate climate change and promote climate justice.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released its U.S. winter outlook, predicting a warmer winter for much of the continental United States, with varying levels of rain and snowfall depending on the location. The forecast takes into account the influence of El Niño, which is expected to bring warmer and drier conditions to the northern and far western parts of the country, while the southern states can expect a wetter winter. The outlook also warns of potential climate extremes due to a strengthening El Niño and the ongoing effects of climate change.
Scientists have found that even Antarctica, one of the most remote places on Earth, is experiencing shattered temperature records and an increase in extreme weather events. The continent is not isolated from the effects of human-caused climate change, with its western end and peninsula witnessing dramatic ice sheet melt and the eastern side gaining ice at times. The melting of glaciers and sea ice, along with the collapse of ice shelves, poses significant threats, including rising sea levels and accelerated global warming. The study emphasizes the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the consequences of climate change.
Wildfires are burning across Canada, while Puerto Rico is under a severe heat alert, and Earth's oceans have heated up at an alarming rate. Human-caused climate change is a force behind these extremes. The recent fires have also punctured the notion that some places are relatively safe from the worst hazards of climate change. The world's richest continent remains unprepared for the hazards of the not-too-distant future. A global weather pattern known as El Niño, which can drive up temperatures and set heat records, has arrived.
The United Nations weather agency has released a report stating that 2022 was another year of disastrous and deadly weather and climate extremes around the world, fueled in part by human-caused climate change. The report highlights that Antarctic sea ice fell to its lowest extent on record, ocean heat and acidity levels reached record heights, and the melting of some European glaciers was off the charts. The report also states that current glacier melting and sea-level rise show "we have already lost" on those two key signals of the planet's health.