Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The planet endures its hottest summer on record — for the second
straight year
Another heat record this summer was recorded in the Northern Hemisphere,
where 90% of the world’s population live. The Southern Hemisphere was no
exception. Australia, which was in winter, broke its national record for the
hottest August day at 41.6 degrees Celsius. As a result, the average 12-month
temperatures ended August 2024 marked the hottest on record in any 12-month period,
1.64 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels, surpassing the 1.5-degree benchmark
to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. It was partly caused by the aftereffects
of El Niño, the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean,
which had ended around June. But the main driver of the heat was no doubt human-caused
factors, most significantly by the burning of fossil fuels. As we keep burning
coal, gasoline, oil, and natural gasses, temperatures keep rising and extreme
weather events, such as heat waves, super hurricanes, floodings, and droughts are
becoming more intense and increasing. Catastrophic events of global warming are
no longer future possibilities but present and clear dangers.
Read the article and learn how hot this summer has been.
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