2016 began by breaking temperature records, and it will likely end the same way. Now, NASA itself is saying that this year will be the warmest on record, with a dramatic increase in Earth's surface temperatures. In February, we learned that average global temperatures had risen by 1,35 degrees Celsius ; how much will they have risen by the end of the year?
The truth is, we don't know. We might surpass 2 degrees sooner than we thought.
Some specialists have attributed the drastic temperature rise in the second month of the year to the El Niño weather phenomenon; however, scientists continue to warn that the global climate system is being heavily affected by human emissions of greenhouse gases , especially by the increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide.
Gavin Schmidt, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, wrote on his Twitter account that while he doesn't usually comment on individual months because there is "too much time" and "not enough weather," when he saw the February climate models he could only say one word: " wow ," thus demonstrating how surprised he was.
As global temperatures rise above seasonal averages, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, Arctic sea ice is melting at an ever-increasing rate . This ice is ending up in a sea with a rising sea level. But that's not all; the Poles are also registering their own monthly records. In fact, at the end of September 2015, Arctic ice melt reached a new record low, as we reported in this article.
Climate change is a fact. It's a problem that will affect us all sooner or later , regardless of where we are.