An increase in the global temperature of the planet is a consequence of which we have been repeatedly warned, if we do not take significant measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Our inaction has seen many countries around the world simultaneously experience extreme and prolonged heat waves.
In the United States, 38 million Americans were under a high heat alert this week. Nearby residents of Ontario, Canada said they felt like they were living in a “tropical country”, adding that the air was “so thick” with humidity.
In parts of China, temperatures jumped above 35C and stayed there all month. Meanwhile, temperatures soar to 50 degrees in North Africa.
In mid-June, India and Pakistan were hit by a heat wave of 43.5-50°C in the period between two cyclones. The heat wave killed 170 people and left hundreds more in hospital.
In Europe, countries experienced an unusually warm start to the summer months. June marked high temperatures and little rainfall across the continent.
A new report from the Greenpeace Science Unit, based at the University of Exeter, has announced that Spain is warming faster than any other part of the world. The country is now experiencing an increase of 1.5°C for each degree of global warming.
Unless the rest of the world does its part to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Spain is set to succumb to a global temperature rise of 2°C over the next two decades.
Without climate intervention, the nation of Europe is projected to warm by 4°C by 2100. This huge change, though gradual, will have profound negative effects on natural environments by increasing droughts and wildfires while fueling water shortages. water across the country.
Although broken records are usually something to celebrate, climate scientists warn that ever-higher global temperatures are nothing to fear.
Without making concrete changes in the direction of global sustainability – especially within the most emitting industries in the world – there is no doubt that we can expect to see breaking temperature records become an annual event.
