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The world has just experienced the hottest September that has been recorded since records began 140 years ago. This follows on from 2019 experiencing the hottest summer on record, with June and July also recording scorching temperatures, making them the hottest on record, and August earned its place as the second hottest.
Hottest September Follows the Hottest June and July
On Friday, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service published a report revealing that temperatures during the month of September were 1.02 degrees Fahrenheit above the global averages calculated between 1981 and 2010.
Before this, September of 2016 held the position of the hottest September ever, but temperatures recorded last month were 0.04 degrees Fahrenheit warmer. Global regions including central and eastern USA, the Mongolian plateau and parts of the Arctic were those experiencing the most dramatic increases in average temperature.
The report also uncovered that since the period of 1981-2010, the sea ice cover in the Arctic has reduced by a huge 36%, Further to this, it was reported that sea ice in the Antarctic was 0.9% lower than the average.
This data, in addition to the fact that this year’s June and July were also the hottest recorded has spurred concerns over the impact of global warming.
Links to Global Warming
Since the 1970s the world has seen increases in average temperature of 0.18°C per decade, and from 2001 annual temperatures have consistently been above average. With record breaking high temperatures becoming common place, experts are highlighting the impact that global warming is already having on our planet, and predicting that this pattern will continue into the future.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that this October to December will continue to see above average temperatures, particularly for the Northeast and Southwest states and northern Alaska.
These increasing temperatures are gaining attention, with both agencies and the public seeing them as a sign of the impact global warming is having on the planet. The United Nations Climate Action Summit last month demonstrated the level of concern that activists, protesters and environmental organizations have over signs of global warming such as consistent increasing temperatures.
Jean-Noel Thepaut, Director of Copernicus, a climate change service providing authoritative data about climate change in Europe and the world, told global news agency AFP that the continued record breaking highs are a reminder of the long term, global impact of global warming. He estimated that as emissions continue, as will global temperatures, without significant action he envisions continued record breaking temperatures in the future.
Hotter Temperatures and More Extreme Weather
El Niño, a natural climate pattern characterized by above-average sea surface temperatures and tropical cyclone formation over the tropical Pacific Ocean, usually adds to global average temperatures. However, this year has seen record highs without a strong El Niño event. Highlighting the intensity of this year’s temperature rises.
Experts believe this steadily rising global average is contributing to extreme weather patterns that are being experienced worldwide. Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) states that the high temperatures we have seen this summer have been accompanied by extreme wildfires, and significant loss of ice in Greenland, the Arctic, and on European glaciers.
Taalas has warned that the increasing global temperatures that are being recorded are a signal of the reality of climate change. He, along with others, are seeing it as a sign that the situation will continue to worsen unless urgent climate change action is taken. With current data predicting that records will continue to be broken, there is a real concern for the impact that a real and steady warming of the planet will have.
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