The Earth Briefly Exceeds the 2℃ Warming Alert Line for the First Time, United Nations Issues Warning What Does This Mean and What Will be the Consequences?
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Copernicus Climate Change Service of the European Union announced on November 20th that the global average temperature on November 17th was 207℃ higher than the average level between 1850 and 1900 before industrialization It is the first time that the global daily average temperature has surpassed 2 degrees Celsius since records began Preliminary data also shows that the global average temperature on November 18th exceeded 2 degrees Celsius, reaching approximately 206℃ At the same time, according to First Financial, the United Nations Environment Programme released its annual report, 2023 Emissions Gap Report Breaking Records - Temperature Reaches New Heights, World (Once Again) Fails to Meet Emission Reduction Targets on November 20th, 10 days before the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change The report shows that by 2030, the world may face a scenario of temperature rise of 25 to 29℃, and even in the most optimistic scenario, the possibility of keeping the temperature rise within 15℃ is only 14% UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the current climate trend is pushing the Earth into a dead end with a temperature rise of nearly 3℃ Countries must take stronger emission reduction measures than those committed in the Paris Agreement, and global carbon emissions must be reduced by 28% to 42% by 2030 in order to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 15 to 2℃ as stated in the Paris Agreement The Earth has briefly exceeded the 2℃ warming threshold for the first time, prompting a warning from the United Nations
Global Average Temperature Continues to Rise
According to data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) in the United States, the global average temperature on November 17th reached 14.5 degrees. At first glance, this number may not seem significant, but when compared to historical data, it is quite astonishing: the average temperature on November 17th from 1979 to 2000 was 13.2 degrees, which means it was 1.3 degrees higher. And this is just after a global industrialization. If we compare it to meteorological data from 1850-1900, before global industrialization, the average temperature on this day increased by 2 degrees.
However, the most frightening thing is that this is not an isolated case. According to the NCEP data, this year’s global average temperature has been consistently higher than any other year since June. The temperature curve is above any previous years' curves. The highest daily average temperature this year even surpassed the reliable meteorological records, reaching 17.2 degrees, while the previous record was 16.9 degrees. There are two reasons for this: global warming and El Niño.
The El Niño event this year has significantly affected the atmosphere and oceans. The sea surface temperature in the central eastern Pacific, especially in the Nino3.4 region used to monitor El Niño, has risen by 2 degrees. Based on the sea temperature data, its intensity may even reach or approach the level of a strong El Niño. As a “warm” event, its presence will further drive global average temperatures up, and the high latitude regions may experience generally increased precipitation in the near future.
In the overall trend of global warming, various meteorological issues are emerging, such as the collapse of Antarctic sea ice. This year, Antarctic sea ice hasn’t effectively recovered throughout the year. During the peak of winter, the Antarctic sea ice was several million square kilometers smaller compared to previous years. For example, compared to last year, the sea ice this year was 1.5 million square kilometers less. This could imply significant melting of Antarctic multi-year ice, and such melting may be irreparable.
Due to the development and persistence of the El Niño phenomenon, the global daily average temperature will remain at a high level in the coming months. It is not ruled out that it may approach or even exceed the 2-degree warming warning line. This year is likely to become the hottest year recorded in meteorological history. However, this title may not last for years to come. The rise in global daily average temperature doesn’t necessarily mean it will always be hotter. A better understanding is that there is an increasing amount of “destructive energy” in the atmosphere. This means that more extreme rainfall, stronger thunderstorms, and more intense typhoons are likely to occur in the future. For example, in September, the Mediterranean subtropical cyclone Daniel rapidly developed under the influence of abnormally warm sea temperatures, causing severe flooding in Libya and resulting in thousands of deaths. Such sudden, explosive cyclones are more likely to occur in a scenario of global warming.
Unfortunately, stopping the trend of global warming itself requires a collective effort from all humanity, but this kind of cooperation is idealistic. Each country has its own agenda, and the accumulation of these agendas may render all efforts futile, at most just delaying the arrival of disasters. Our generation is already starting to suffer from various disasters caused by global warming, but what about future generations?
Climate change and international cooperation
Ah. Here we go again.
From the reanalysis data of NCEP, it can be seen that on November 17th to 18th, the global surface temperature briefly surged to a high anomaly position, exceeding the 1979-2000 average by 1.3°C, which is equivalent to an average increase of 2.07°C since the beginning of industrialization.
This 1-2°C may not seem like much of a concept.
Let’s take a look at the global average temperature trend for this year (the thick black line at the top), hmm, it has basically been consistently above every line since 1979, and the gap has widened even further from July onwards. The yellow line represents the trend in 2022, which has been pulled far apart, meaning that the previous records or warmer years were only slightly above the average, but this year suddenly raised the anomaly to over 1 degree, more than doubling it!
Looking at the period from June until now, there is a sudden increase in the deviation from the 1979-2020 average dashed line on November 17th to 18th, setting a new record for anomalies.
Every month, every day breaks the record for the warmest global temperature at the same time since meteorological records began, and there is even a chance to break the anomaly record every day. So, we have seen and answered this question many times.
The rapid warming of the climate in a short period of time is undoubtedly leading to climate deterioration. Although there have been relatively warm periods in history, the main problem humanity currently faces is how to deal with this rapid climate change. The ecosystems, atmosphere, oceans, and other elements are all interrelated and adapt to each other. However, this rapid increase in temperature by 2-3°C or even higher within a hundred years, without the participation of super volcanoes or major changes in Earth’s orbital parameters, is almost unheard of in geological history. 56 million years ago, the earth’s carbon dioxide concentration increased significantly, and the temperature rose sharply by 5°C in just a few thousand years. Land animals and plants were forced to migrate towards the poles, while marine organisms died in large numbers due to ocean acidification and oxygen depletion. This event has left abundant evidence in geological layers around the world and is known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). However, the rate of carbon dioxide increase at that time was only one-tenth of today’s rate.
This situation is already at a dead end. Europe was the first to propose carbon emissions reduction and carbon neutrality, partly for climate change, but also to restrict the development of developing countries. However, now China is actively promoting carbon emissions reduction and carbon neutrality goals while Europe and the United States seem to have lost interest. It can be said that politics and interests are involved, and every country still has its own ulterior motives when it comes to climate change.
China and the United States issue the Sunshine Declaration on Strengthening Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis.
Although the IPCC publishes climate change reports every year and the China-US Sunshine Declaration on Strengthening Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis was issued by the two countries a few days ago, it’s all sweet talk. However, how to abandon confrontation and cooperate, how to jointly address the issue, and how some countries will not play tricks are all major problems we will face.
No Reflection on Leakage, Restarting, Fires, Sewage and Floods
The greenhouse gases leaked from Nord Stream, no matter how much energy we save, we cannot recover it in a hundred years. Does anyone reflect on this? Europeans blindly claim it was Russia’s doing.
Germany is restarting the coal-fired power plants that were shut down for half a century. Did they have desulfurization and dust removal at that time? Does anyone reflect on this?
A certain country’s forests catch fire twice a year, each time lasting for half a year. Does anyone reflect on this?
Do people reflect on Japan’s sewage being dumped into the sea?
When Ohio is flooded, does anyone reflect on this?
No, because the United States does not pay for people to reflect.
Stop restarting coal power plants, promote new energy, ban oil vehicles, protect our planet.
I would like to urge the European Union to stop the reactivation of coal-fired power plants, promote the development of renewable energy sources, strictly adhere to the commitment to ban the sale of petrol vehicles, and protect our planet.
Less fire, less fireplace, less driving, and less beef.
European and American people should reduce forest fires, use fewer fireplaces, and drive less. This is better for the environment. Also, they should consume less beef, as it releases a lot of methane.
Global Warming: Breaking Records and Unmet Emission Targets
As always, first let’s place the original link to the report “2023 Emissions Gap Report: Record High Temperatures, World (Again) Fails to Meet Reduction Targets” here, for those interested to read the original text, the link to the original article can be found here.
I hope in the future, the author can include the link to the original article, not only to increase the credibility of their information but also to save time for the person answering the question. Thanks~
Okay, now let’s talk about the report.
Let’s start with the temperature data: so far this year, there have been 86 days with temperatures exceeding pre-industrial levels by 1.5°C. Not only did September become the hottest month on record, but the temperatures surpassed previous records, with a difference of 0.5°C higher than before. The global average temperature has reached 1.8°C above pre-industrial levels. Although these records do not mean that the world has already exceeded the temperature limit of 1.5°C set in the Paris Agreement, as it is based on a long-term global warming level derived from multiple-year averages, these records indicate that we are gradually approaching this limit.
The report points out that these exceptionally high temperatures and extreme weather events are just the beginning of the years to come.
This is the fourteenth Emissions Gap Report, which is published annually based on independent scientific assessments. It assesses the gap between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions pledged by countries and the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement, as well as the efforts needed to bridge this gap.
As the report shows, not only are temperature records being continuously broken, global greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) have also reached new records in 2022. Due to the failure to significantly reduce emissions from high-income and high-emitting countries (which bear the greatest historical responsibility for emissions) and to limit the emissions growth of low-income and middle-income countries (which account for the majority of current emissions), all countries now need to take unprecedented actions. Therefore, this year’s report explores energy transformation.
In 2022, global greenhouse gas emissions increased by 1.2% compared to 2021, reaching 5.74 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e), as shown in the figure below.
Except for the transportation sector, all sectors have fully recovered to pre-COVID-19 emission reduction levels and even surpassed the 2019 levels. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes are the main contributors to overall growth, accounting for about two-thirds of current greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases (F-gases) account for about a quarter of current greenhouse gas emissions and are experiencing rapid growth. In 2022, F-gas emissions increased by 5.5%, CH4 emissions increased by 1.8%, and N2O emissions increased by 0.9%. According to early estimates, CO2 emissions from net land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) remained stable in 2022. Compared to all gases considered, CO2 emissions and removals from LULUCF have the greatest uncertainty, both in absolute quantities and trends.
Greenhouse gas emissions from G20 countries also increased by 1.2% in 2022. However, there are differences in emission trends among member countries, with increases in emissions from China, India, Indonesia, and the United States, while decreases in emissions from Brazil, the European Union, and Russia. Overall, G20 countries currently account for 76% of global emissions.
The following figure is quite interesting, showing significant differences between different countries. For example, both the Russian Federation and the United States have per capita emissions exceeding the global average (6.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), more than twice the average. In contrast, India’s per capita emissions are less than half of the global average. The per capita emission levels of Brazil, the European Union, and Indonesia are relatively close to each other, slightly lower than the average of G20 countries.
The average per capita emissions in G20 countries are 7.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, while the average emissions of the least developed countries are only 2.2 tonnes, and the average emissions of small island developing states are 4.2 tonnes.
There are also differences within countries. Globally, the top 10% of the highest-income population accounts for nearly half (48%) of total emissions, with two-thirds of them living in developed countries. In contrast, the bottom 50% of the global population contributes only 12% of total emissions.
There are significant differences in historical cumulative emissions and contributions to global warming among different countries and groups of countries. Nearly 80% of cumulative historical fossil fuel and land-use change emissions are from G20 countries, with China, the United States, and the European Union contributing the most. In contrast, the contribution of the least developed countries is only 4%.
The United States, with 4% of the global population, has contributed 17% to global warming from 1850 to 2021, including emissions of methane and nitrous oxide. In comparison, India, with 18% of the global population, has contributed only 5% to global warming.
In conclusion, global warming is a trend, but it seems that there is no good solution. The story of “three monks with no water to drink” is well-known, not to mention now there are two hundred monks. It is difficult to determine who will take the lead in emissions reductions, as each country has its own sovereignty. Global warming is just a matter of time.
A New Call, An Electric Dedication
Chinese Breeze, Source of Happiness
No More Worries About Oil Prices
Nissan Hesitates, Delray City Flourishes
Ah, Everyone Switching to New Energy
A Better World for Humanity
Everyone Switching to New Energy, A Better World This is a new call, this is the dedication of electricity.
This is the spring breeze of China, this is the source of joy.
No more trouble with oil prices, no more deception with high prices.
Nissan is also hesitant, Deliricity is spreading everywhere.
Ah, as long as everyone switches to new energy,
The world will become a beautiful place for humanity, ah.
As long as everyone switches to new energy, the world will become a beautiful place for humanity.
Global Energy Crisis: Russia-Ukraine Conflict and the Future of Survival.
After the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Europe could not obtain natural gas from Russia. In the winter, people had to cut wood for heating and survival took precedence over future matters. Similarly, Americans are increasing their oil production. When things were going well for Europe and America, they were like pure and holy white lotus flowers, always talking about environmental protection. However, when faced with a little adversity, their true nature was exposed. Therefore, the so-called control is just talk. If there was only one China on Earth, I firmly believe that it would definitely be able to curb the trend of global warming. Coupled with those foolish allies in Europe and America, they can just wait for it to be game over. Even if there were Noah’s Ark, we certainly wouldn’t get a chance. And even if we did get on Noah’s Ark, what would we do on a strange planet? Wake up! Even if that planet is suitable for human survival, infrastructure still needs to be built. It’s hilarious to think about traveling through the vast expanse of the universe to work as a construction worker.
No Car, No Air Conditioner
Am I Responsible for Everything?
What does it have to do with me? I don’t have a car, and my house doesn’t even have air conditioning. Do I have to reflect on all of this?!
The temperature in Shenzhen today is 18-27 degrees
The temperature in Shenzhen today is 18-27 degrees.
It’s already almost December… yet the cool weather hasn’t arrived.
Sigh.