Thursday, August 18, 2022
The Green Market Oracle
  • Climate Change
    • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Biodiversity
    • Wildfires
    • Extreme Weather
  • Energy
    • Renewables
    • Nuclear Power
    • Fossil Fuels
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Social Change
    • Activism
    • Disinformation
    • Education
    • Psychology
    • Gender Equality
  • Business and Economics
    • Leadership
    • Decarbonization
    • Economics
    • Supply Chains
    • Investing
  • Technology
    • Carbon Removal
    • Carbon Capture
    • Transportation
    • Buildings
    • Food
No Result
View All Result
  • Climate Change
    • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Biodiversity
    • Wildfires
    • Extreme Weather
  • Energy
    • Renewables
    • Nuclear Power
    • Fossil Fuels
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Social Change
    • Activism
    • Disinformation
    • Education
    • Psychology
    • Gender Equality
  • Business and Economics
    • Leadership
    • Decarbonization
    • Economics
    • Supply Chains
    • Investing
  • Technology
    • Carbon Removal
    • Carbon Capture
    • Transportation
    • Buildings
    • Food
No Result
View All Result
The Green Market Oracle
No Result
View All Result
Home Climate Change Extreme Weather

2020 Was the Hottest Year on Record

by Richard Matthews
January 9, 2021
in Climate Change, Extreme Weather
0
images of extreme weather events

It’s official, despite cooling from a La Niña event, 2020 has tied 2016 as the warmest year on record, ending the warmest decade on record. These findings were released by Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on January 8, 2021.  

In 2020 we saw the hottest temperature ever reliably recorded. Death Valley California saw temperature readings of 54.4 C (129.92 F) on August 17, 2020. Last year’s heat contributed to unprecedented  extreme weather including a  record setting Atlantic storm season and pervasive wildfires. As explained by Penn State University professor  Michael Mann, this year’s heat is “way out of balance”. 

GHGs are Causing Temperatures to Rise

This warming is being driven by anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG), primarily from the burning of fossil fuels. Despite an estimated seven percent reduction in fossil CO2 emissions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GHGs continued to increase in 2020. The increase of 2.3 parts per million (ppm) of atmospheric carbon is slightly less than the year before. 

Vincent-Henri Peuch, Director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), says the small reduction in emissions is not a cause for complacency.  At 413ppm of atmospheric CO2, this is their highest level in at least 800,000 years.  “Until the net global emissions reduce to zero, CO2 will continue to accumulate in the atmosphere and drive further climate change. We must continue efforts to decrease CO2 net emissions to reduce the risk of climate-related change” Peuch said. 

The Arctic Hit Hardest with Warming Temperatures

Europe saw its warmest year on record in 2020, but the area with the largest annual temperature deviation was the Arctic.  Scientists pay particular attention to  Arctic heatwaves because they have planetary implications. In October, the average temperature for the whole circumpolar Arctic was 6.7 C. In the Russian Arctic archipelago of Severnaya Zemlya, the average temperature was 10 C above the average. Arctic heat also links wildfires to climate change; according to C3S, Arctic wildfires released a record 244 megatonnes of carbon dioxide in 2020. Arctic sea ice was significantly below average and the months of July and October had the lowest sea ice extent on record.  

Scientists like C3S Director Carlo Buontempo have expressed concern. “2020 stands out for its exceptional warmth in the Arctic and a record number of tropical storms in the North Atlantic. It is no surprise that the last decade was the warmest on record, and is yet another reminder of the urgency of ambitious emissions reductions to prevent adverse climate impacts in the future,” Buontempo,said. 

We Keep Breaking Temperature Records

Last year, all time heat records were set in the months of January, September and November. While individual months are of interest, climate change is about long term trends. The last six years have been the six warmest on record. Nine of the last ten years are the warmest on record. Month after month, year after year decade after decade temperature records keep being broken. The five warmest decades on record have all occurred in the last 50 years and each successive decade was warmer than any preceding decade. We have seen 432 consecutive months with temperatures above the twentieth-century average and 44 consecutive years with above average global land and ocean temperatures. We have not seen a month with below average temperatures in 37 years. 

Matthias Petschke, Director for Space, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence industry and Space summarized the situation as follows: 

“The extraordinary climate events of 2020 and the data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service show us that we have no time to lose. We must come together as a global community, to ensure a just transition to a net zero future. It will be difficult, but the cost of inaction is too great”.

Related 

  • More Record Breaking Heat
  • The Unprecedented Wildfires in 2020 are Connected to Climate Change
  • The Deadly Connection Between Climate Change, COVID-19, Wildfires, Hurricanes and Tornadoes
  • Heat Records Tell Us What we Need to Know
  • Global Warming is Still Real Even if it is Cold Where You Are
  • The World is Warming and We are Running Out of Time
  • More Hot Data Contributes to Existential Concerns
  • Slowing Emissions to Beat the Heat
  • Warming Temperatures are an Urgent Warning
ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

How to Build a Circular Economy

Next Post

How to Mass Market Electric Vehicles

Related Posts

time is running out and climate change is driving extreme global heat waves

How Many Heat Waves Will it Take for us to Act on Climate Change?

by Richard Matthews
August 8, 2022
0

Despite steady increases in global temperatures and years of ever more deadly heat waves, we are not doing anywhere near enough to combat climate change. The UN describes the decades of worsening...

101 Environmental Victories of 2021

Despite the Headlines, 2021 Was A Year Full of Environmental Victories

by Richard Matthews
January 4, 2022
1

You cannot be faulted for failing to notice the long list of environmental wins that occurred in 2021.  Good news stories do not have the sensationalistic allure of dramatic prophecies...

What the science says about the Gulf and Jet streams collapsing

Are the Gulf and Jet Streams Collapsing? Here’s what the Science Says

by Richard Matthews
August 30, 2021
0

If you read the headlines you could not be faulted for believing that the jet stream and the Gulf Stream are on the cusp of imminent collapse. These dire predictions...

Next Post

How to Mass Market Electric Vehicles

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • SoundCloud

Subscribe to the Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

time is running out and climate change is driving extreme global heat waves
Climate Change

How Many Heat Waves Will it Take for us to Act on Climate Change?

by Richard Matthews
August 8, 2022
0

Despite steady increases in global temperatures and years of ever more deadly heat waves, we are not doing anywhere near...

Read more

Nuclear Power Versus Renewable Energy

July 20, 2022

Nuclear Energy Versus Fossil Fuels

July 5, 2022
different types of economic systems assessed by sustainable development goals

Types of Economies and their Implications for Sustainability

June 28, 2022
The facts about Nuclear Energy reveal that it is safe and clean but it is not renewable

Fact Check Reveals Nuclear Energy is Safe and Clean but not Renewable

June 13, 2022
  • About
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Business and Economics
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • Social Change
  • Events
  • Other

© 2021 Copyright The Green Market Oracle.

No Result
View All Result
  • Business and Economics
    • Leadership
    • Supply Chains
  • Economics
  • Energy
    • Renewables
    • Nuclear Power
    • Fossil Fuels
  • Climate Change
    • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Biodiversity
    • Extreme Weather
    • Wildfires
  • Investing
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Technology
    • Buildings
    • Carbon Capture
    • Food
    • Transportation
  • Social Change
    • Education
    • Activism
    • Psychology

© 2021 Copyright The Green Market Oracle.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In