Arabia Weather - With the end of the year of sudden global warmth, which has already seen average annual temperatures rise to a record level in 2023, scientists currently expect 2024 to be even hotter, according to the Washington Post.
The newspaper noted on Tuesday that the Earth's oceans were record warm throughout most of 2023, to the point that it would require several months to get rid of this temperature rise and return to a normal state.
It must be noted that this rise in planetary temperatures is likely the result of the El Nino climate phenomenon, and the newspaper explains that the Earth is not expected to witness a decline or decrease in the rates of global warming, which began decades ago due to fossil fuel emissions.
The newspaper dealt with predictions described as “frightening” regarding the rise in average temperatures of the planet to more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels in the nineteenth century, according to the British Meteorological Office.
The Washington Post explained that the planet has come closer than ever to that frightening threshold in recent months, which indicates the expectation of new extreme climate phenomena.
However, such climate trends may be difficult to predict accurately, according to the newspaper. At the beginning of 2023, scientists expected the year to end as one of the warmest years on record on Earth. However, they did not expect the year to set so many new precedents on a record.
Regarding current developments, the newspaper quoted Carlo Bontempo, Director of the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, saying: “In fact, we are currently in uncharted territory, and we do not know what will happen next.”
Scientists have warned that humanity is approaching several serious threats, as carbon pollution is causing the Earth's temperature to rise to more dangerous levels than ever before, according to a report published by the British newspaper "The Guardian".
According to a report on “Global Turning Points”, they warned that the next 30 decades could witness radical transformations if the world warms by 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.
The report explained that these planetary shifts will not only cause temperatures to spiral out of control in the coming centuries, but will unleash serious and irreversible damage to humans and nature.
Potential risks include the collapse of large ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica, the death of coral reefs in warmer waters, and disruption of major water currents in the North Atlantic.
Unlike other climate changes, such as hotter heatwaves and increased rainfall, these systems do not shift slowly and gradually in proportion to greenhouse gas emissions. Rather, they can shift suddenly from one state to a completely different state.
The Guardian points out that “when a shift occurs in the climate system, the way the planet works can be permanently changed.”
According to the report, other areas at risk include mangroves and seagrass meadows, which are expected to die in some areas if temperatures rise between 1.5°C and 2°C, as well as some forests.
Source: Arabic
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