WORSENING CLIMATE CHANGE
There have been repeated claims that global warming went on “pause”. Newly published studies disprove this. According to a group of international climate researchers, there was never any statistical proof of this global warming pause. In their conclusion, the interval could be a misalignment of expectations and observations from established climate models. It could also be a change in the observed warming rates.
The said study went over the documents that indicated the global warming pause. It also assessed how the “pause” was described, the techniques used in assessing it, and the intervals of its characterization. The study also tested the current and past versions of the earth’s GMST (Global Mean Surface Temperature) data sets in slower trends and no warming trends as well. The findings yielded no strong statistical proof that there is, indeed, a pause in the rise of the GMST.
This only proves that global warming did not stop or pause. Understanding why and how scientists believed otherwise. When the climate research community accepted this “pause”, it caused confusion for the policy and public systems about the urgency and rate of climate change. This confusion led to a decrease in the efforts to prevent the greenhouse effect.
Calamities
Aside from the “pause” issue in global warming, 2018 was also marked by several natural disasters. One of the worst environmental catastrophes was the Carr Fire in California last summer. Eight people perished in the flames. It didn’t take long before the campfires and Woolsey fires started. The Camp Fires of California was the most destructive and most fatal wildfire in the history of California. The said fires took a while to contain, but eventually, they were. A total of 88 people lost their lives and 200 more are currently missing from the Camp Fires. Residential areas, climate change, and fire suppression have all caused the aggravation of these wildfires.
It is only pure stupidity to blame the disaster on not “raking” the said forests.
Adding to the fires in California, are the fissures that opened at the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii. These cracks led to ash explosions and lava over various areas of the state’s Big Island. Hawaii’s shoreline changed dramatically because of the volcanic eruption. While it may be true that eruptions like this has always been devastating to humans, it remains the sole creator of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hurricanes also plague the Atlantic Coast. One of them was Hurricane Florence, which brought about tremendous devastation and heavy rains on North and South Carolina. Hurricane Michael decimated towns on Florida’s panhandle. Climate change is once again a major cause of this type of natural calamity.
Drastic Climate Change
The year 2018 was peppered by various warnings about the detrimental effects of the much-debated climate change. A decrease in the human population to a few hundred billion by 2050 is possible because of the drastic temperature changes. According to the World Energy Outlook Preport of the International Energy Agency, emissions have already increased and have no sign of falling at all. China’s oil importation and America’s oil production via fracking doesn’t help at all. The National Climate Assessment warned last Thanksgiving that changes in our climate will wreak havoc on the economy.
Unified Scientists
Because the present leader of the USA does not believe in climate change, scientists gathered together since 2017. In 2018, they have once again asserted their proven concepts about global warming. Congressional candidates with backgrounds in science are now part of the House of Representatives. They are working on policies that are backed by science. The said policies are related to climate change and healthcare.
Significant Environmental Changes
The United States was not the only one that suffered devastating environmental disasters in 2018. Europe experienced such crises as well:
• Scandinavia had the warmest, driest period from May to July
• Ireland and the UK went through unexpected warm months
• Sweden had wildfires through 25,000 hectares
• The Arctic Circle had the highest recorded temperatures
• Helsinki-Vantaa, Finland also had 25 non-stop hot days (above 25 degrees C)
• The Danube River started drying up in Budapest
• The hottest day in Portugal reached 44 degrees C
• Yerevan, Armenia reached its warmest at 43.7 degrees C last July
• Frankfurt, Germany had 30 degrees C of heat for 19 continuous days from July 23 to August 9
It was indeed a year for warnings on climate change. The UN even released an alert back in 2018 that the world has now 12 years to try and prevent a climate disaster. It is up to us to step up and make a difference and make this goal happen.