Janya Edirisinghe
Global warming is an aspect of climate change and refers to the long-term rise of the planet’s temperatures. It is caused by an increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, which is mainly derived from human activities such as burning fossil fuels and farming.
In recent times, the planet’s temperatures have been rising at an alarming rate, which imposes a threat to mankind. Mentioned below are graphs/maps prepared by NASA on the changing global temperatures.
The graph above illustrates the significant rise in temperatures between the years 1880 and 2020. Continuing this trend in rising temperatures, the global temperature increase was 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.89 degrees Celsius), making the year 2022, the Earth’s 5th warmest year since 1880, and the last 9 consecutive years have been the warmest 9 years on record. This means Earth in 2022 was about 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the late 19th-century average.
The colour-coded maps above show how global temperatures have progressed between 1884 and 2022. Dark blue indicates areas cooler than average. Dark red indicates areas warmer than average.
As per the maps above, we can see how global temperatures in 1884 and 2022 were in two extremes where global temperatures in some areas were cooler than average in 1884 as opposed to global temperatures being warmer in some areas than average in 2022.
The extra heat is driving regional and seasonal temperature extremes, reducing snow cover and sea ice, intensifying heavy rainfall, and changing habitat range for plants and animals—expanding some and shrinking others. Many communities from around the world are experiencing the impacts brought about by climate change. For example, within the last year, Pakistan was devastated by heavy torrential monsoon rains and a persistent megadrought was brought about in the U.S. Southwest. In September of 2022, Hurricane Ian became one of the strongest and costliest hurricanes to ever strike the US.
In conclusion, research has shown that global temperatures are expected to rise further in the years to come.
Header Image: Flood victims from monsoon rain use a makeshift barge to carry hay for cattle, in Jaffarabad, a district of Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province, on Sept. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
