How are we supposed to prepare for the hottest years that are about to come? This year, the natural climate phenomenon El Niño is expected, but even without it, it is already very hot. We do experience unnatural heat even when there is a typhoon raging nearby or even when the weather bureau has declared the start of the rainy season. Something strange is, indeed, happening.
Recently, an American scientist tweeted that something “unbelievable and weird” is happening with the rising ocean and air temperatures. Other scientists agreed and said that the next five years will be the hottest on record. We already know this, in a way, since experts have been warning us about it for years. But what is probably unexpected is the speed at which things are unfolding and that few people expected it to happen so soon.
Jennifer Marlon, a research scientist at Yale School of the Environment, said: “These changes are deeply disturbing because of what they mean for people this coming summer, and every summer after, until we cut our carbon emissions at a much faster pace than we’re currently doing.”
I have written about this topic many times in this column and have called on people, agencies, and groups to try harder because, in fact, we all have to do something about this. No one can say for sure if it is already too late. In the news recently, charts have shown how record-breaking 2023 has been, and we are just in the middle of it.
For example, global data shows that temperatures in many places all over the globe have been unusually high—Europe, Canada, the United States, Siberia, and Southeast Asia. Heat waves have been killing animals and crops, starting wildfires, and threatening food security across many places.
Our oceans are heating up and the numbers are off the charts. Even the scientists are asking why. May 2023 was the hottest May on record as far as the world’s ocean temperature is concerned. This is data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ocean warming would lead to coral bleaching, rising sea levels, the death of marine life, and stronger hurricanes.
Additionally, Antarctica’s ice level is at a record low and “on a very steep downward trend.” Scientists are linking it to the warm ocean waters, which makes it all “truly exceptional and alarming.” This will harm species on the continent, like penguins, seals, and other animals.
And, of course, the world continues to burn fossil fuels, leading to very high carbon dioxide levels in the air. According to scientists, the level of carbon pollution is now more than 50 percent higher than pre-Industrial Revolution times. May 2023, again, was record-breaking in this regard. It keeps climbing every year, despite our “best efforts.” Based on facts, data, and scientific evidence, climate change is in full swing and it looks like it’s not going to slow down anytime soon.