April 2016 Hottest on Record as 'Climate Emergency' Grows
The Paris target of keeping emissions under 1.5°C is 'wishful thinking,' scientist says
This April was the hottest on record--and the seventh month in a row to break global temperature averages--setting up 2016 to be the hottest year ever, NASA has reported.
April was 1.11degC hotter than previous averages between 1951 and 1980, which NASA uses as a barometer for measuring climate change, according to figures the agency released over the weekend. NASA also found that April was the third month in a row that the record-breaking jumps in temperature were reached by the largest increases yet.
In fact, 2016 may not only be the hottest year in recorded history, but also by the widest margin, scientists say.
"The interesting thing is the scale at which we're breaking records," Andy Pitman, director of the ARC Center of Excellence for Climate System Science at the University of New South Wales in Australia, told the Guardian on Monday. "It's clearly all heading in the wrong direction."
"Climate scientists have been warning about this since at least the 1980s," Pitman said. "And it's been bloody obvious since the 2000s. So where's the surprise?"
In February, when this latest trend of record-breaking increases began, scientists referred to it as "shocking" and a "climate emergency." The new numbers come just as global leaders gather in Bonn, Germany this week to follow up on the historic Paris agreement signed in April to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. But researchers say the new record is casting fresh doubts that the deal will be able to stave off irreparable climate change in time to prevent catastrophic consequences.
The Paris target of keeping emissions under 1.5degC is "wishful thinking," Pitman said. "I don't know if you'd get 1.5degC if you stopped emissions today. There's inertia in the system. It's putting intense pressure on 2degC."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
This April was the hottest on record--and the seventh month in a row to break global temperature averages--setting up 2016 to be the hottest year ever, NASA has reported.
April was 1.11degC hotter than previous averages between 1951 and 1980, which NASA uses as a barometer for measuring climate change, according to figures the agency released over the weekend. NASA also found that April was the third month in a row that the record-breaking jumps in temperature were reached by the largest increases yet.
In fact, 2016 may not only be the hottest year in recorded history, but also by the widest margin, scientists say.
"The interesting thing is the scale at which we're breaking records," Andy Pitman, director of the ARC Center of Excellence for Climate System Science at the University of New South Wales in Australia, told the Guardian on Monday. "It's clearly all heading in the wrong direction."
"Climate scientists have been warning about this since at least the 1980s," Pitman said. "And it's been bloody obvious since the 2000s. So where's the surprise?"
In February, when this latest trend of record-breaking increases began, scientists referred to it as "shocking" and a "climate emergency." The new numbers come just as global leaders gather in Bonn, Germany this week to follow up on the historic Paris agreement signed in April to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. But researchers say the new record is casting fresh doubts that the deal will be able to stave off irreparable climate change in time to prevent catastrophic consequences.
The Paris target of keeping emissions under 1.5degC is "wishful thinking," Pitman said. "I don't know if you'd get 1.5degC if you stopped emissions today. There's inertia in the system. It's putting intense pressure on 2degC."
This April was the hottest on record--and the seventh month in a row to break global temperature averages--setting up 2016 to be the hottest year ever, NASA has reported.
April was 1.11degC hotter than previous averages between 1951 and 1980, which NASA uses as a barometer for measuring climate change, according to figures the agency released over the weekend. NASA also found that April was the third month in a row that the record-breaking jumps in temperature were reached by the largest increases yet.
In fact, 2016 may not only be the hottest year in recorded history, but also by the widest margin, scientists say.
"The interesting thing is the scale at which we're breaking records," Andy Pitman, director of the ARC Center of Excellence for Climate System Science at the University of New South Wales in Australia, told the Guardian on Monday. "It's clearly all heading in the wrong direction."
"Climate scientists have been warning about this since at least the 1980s," Pitman said. "And it's been bloody obvious since the 2000s. So where's the surprise?"
In February, when this latest trend of record-breaking increases began, scientists referred to it as "shocking" and a "climate emergency." The new numbers come just as global leaders gather in Bonn, Germany this week to follow up on the historic Paris agreement signed in April to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. But researchers say the new record is casting fresh doubts that the deal will be able to stave off irreparable climate change in time to prevent catastrophic consequences.
The Paris target of keeping emissions under 1.5degC is "wishful thinking," Pitman said. "I don't know if you'd get 1.5degC if you stopped emissions today. There's inertia in the system. It's putting intense pressure on 2degC."