Climate change: hottest week so far, earth’s temperature may rise even higher

The high temperatures in the last days confirm that the earth would have had the hottest week ever. The UN stated that climate change is “out of control”.

An unofficial analysis of the earth’s recent temperature would indicate that this week was the hottest on record. Experts say climate change is moving towards catastrophe.

| You may be interested in: Withholding tax 2023: What is it and how is it calculated?

The hottest week

Last Monday, the earth reached an average temperature of 17.01°C, a record-breaking value. On Tuesday, the average temperature was 17.18°C. On Wednesday, for the seventh consecutive day, the earth’s temperature would have exceeded the 44-year average by 0.04°C, staying at 17.18°C.

This temperature variation responds to the effects of climate change and its accelerated evolution could have catastrophic consequences.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated that “we are in a warm period due to climate change, and combined with El Niño and hot summer conditions, we’re seeing record warm surface temperatures being recorded at many locations across the globe”.

Scientists and experts in the field affirm that climate change has entered a new facet after the report of the variations in the planet’s average temperature, published by Climate Reanalyzer.

The National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) provides “a selection of map templates and time series showing changes in temperature, precipitation and other aspects of climate over the past century, and how they are projected to change in the future”.

Although no official statement has been issued to date to confirm that this is the hottest week on earth, Dr. Karsten Haustein, a researcher on atmospheric radiation at the University of Leipzig, says that “July will most likely be the warmest July in history, and with it the warmest ever… ‘ever’ means since the Eemian [interglacial period], i.e., about 120,000 years ago”.

The return of El Niño

The UN has previously confirmed the return of a phenomenon that could further increase the rise in global temperatures. This is El Niño, a natural weather pattern that generates an increase in sea surface temperature. Its scope, combined with climate change, has a great influence on the living conditions of millions of people.

The Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization, Petteri Taalas, stated that without a doubt, “The occurrence of El Niño will considerably increase the probability of breaking temperature records and triggering more extreme heat in many parts of the world and in the ocean”.

To date, multiple regions of the world have faced high temperatures that seem to refer to what was experienced in 2016, so far recorded as the hottest year on record.

| You may also be interested in: Workday reduction begins in Colombia: here’s how it works

Climate change and greenhouse gasses

The climate change facing the planet is mainly a consequence of the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

These emissions are due to the increase and constant expansion of industrial activity that has been spreading around the globe since the 1960s, when the industrial revolution led to the introduction of technologies with a greater environmental footprint.

Studies revealed by Carbon Brief provide a detailed analysis of the areas where greenhouse gas emissions are concentrated, using satellite images and scale projections of the current state of the planet Earth.

The images published by the organization show the high concentration of greenhouse gasses in northern regions. In other words, developed countries whose industrial infrastructure exceeds that of countries in Central and South America, Africa and Oceania.

However, the effects of climate change ignore the responsibility of the nations that, to a greater or lesser extent, have contributed to its origin and evolution.

Thus, for the region of Central and South America, the risks of the increasing acceleration of climate change range from the difficulty of access to drinking water, the degradation and indiscriminate exploitation of ecosystems and other natural resources, and insufficient infrastructure to ensure sanitary treatment and food security, among others.

In Colombia, for example, there is already talk of the weakening of the connecting corridor between the Amazon, the Orinoco and the Andes mountain range. Much has also been discussed about the risk of droughts, deforestation and overexploitation of other natural resources.

The truth is that the accelerated pace of climate change worries the competent authorities and experts in the field, as the rapid increase in global temperature could have irreversible effects.

Find the map of greenhouse gas emissions here.

| Read more: Is the de-dollarization of the world economy on its way? Several facts suggest so