Weather and environmental conditions - Study Indicates Accelerated Warming of the Earth by Humans
Recent research suggests that human-caused global warming is advancing faster than ever before, as documented in the report "Indicators of Global Climate Change" (IGCC). In the last decade (2014-2023), temperatures rose by approximately 0.26 degrees Celsius, surpassing over a century's worth of records, according to a team led by Piers Forster from the University of Leeds in the journal "Earth System Science Data." This is compared to a decade ago (2004-2013), during which the temperature increase came to about 0.20 degrees.
One contributing factor is the significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions, with an average yearly impact of roughly 53 gigatons of carbon dioxide. Converse to this, atmospheric aerosols, responsible for cooling, have decreased. An example is the reduction in sulfate aerosols from the advent of a tighter regulation for cleaner ship fuel.
Comparatively, over the course of the past decade (2014-2023), the average global temperature increase resulting from human activities amounts to 1.19 degrees Celsius in relation to the period between 1850-1900, surpassing the previous period's 1.14 degrees Celsius. In 2023 specifically, the temperature increase brought about by human activities was 1.31 degrees compared to 1850-1900. However, this number falls short of the total warming in that year of 1.43 degrees, indicating that natural climate fluctuations, such as the well-known El Niño phenomenon, also contributed to the record temperature obtained.
The report IGCC was developed in 2023, primarily to fill a void between comprehensive assessments released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which are typically spaced several years apart. Following the previous report in 2023, this time, a team of 57 individuals from 42 institutions in 15 countries compiled the information.
Although the current decade (2024-2033) may see a reversal of some of the aforementioned figures based on societal choice, the first author of the report, Forster, warns that even with climate protection measures helping to mitigate the situation, global temperatures are still moving in the wrong direction at an accelerated pace.
A silver lining can be found in the slowing down of the increase in CO2 emissions when compared to previous decades. It is possible that present-day actions could alter some of the data in the report, particularly if more appropriate measures are implemented. The team concedes, "Our analysis demonstrates that human-induced global warming has intensified in the past year, even as carbon emissions reduction measures have curbed their growth. Despite these positive steps, global temperatures are straying from their intended course and speeding upwards."
Read also:
- The report "Indicators of Global Climate Change" (IGCC), compiled by a team of international scientists, highlighted the accelerated warming of the Earth due to human activities, with Piers Forster from the University of Leeds in Great Britain leading the research.
- The International community has been closely monitoring the impact of climate change, with countries like Great Britain taking proactive steps to reduce their carbon footprint and combat global warming, as was seen in the decrease of sulfate aerosols from cleaner ship fuel.
- The findings of the IGCC report echoed the concerns raised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), indicating that climate change and global warming are not issues that are confined to a specific region, such as Leeds in Great Britain, but are global phenomena that require international cooperation and action.
