September 2020 set a new record and became the hottest September in history, which broke last year’s record. That now makes it the third month in 2020 to break a new heat record, which is a clear sign that the world is getting hotter.
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the average temperature in September 2020 was 0.05ºC ( 0.09ºF) warmer than the previous record holder. If that doesn’t sound like a huge increase, let me say it a different way.
This September was 0.63ºC (1.13ºF) hotter than the 30-year average, which is massive. And remember this is an average of 30 days. There were plenty of individual records broken.
For instance, it reached 121ºF in LA county.
The World Is Getting Warmer
When looking closely at the previous record holder, one thing is very clear, they have all happened recently.
The 3 hottest September’s are 2020, 2019, and 2016. That means 3 out of the last 5 Septembers have been record setters. And that has made the fire season in California evermore destructive this year.
And this trend can be seen if you examine the other months. In fact, every month has seen a record in the last 5 years.
And 2020 is shaping up to be the hottest year in history.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are the Problem
It’s clear that this increase in temperature is linked to our emissions. In 2019, greenhouse gas emissions were at there highest point in history. And although 2020 has seen a sharp decrease in temperature, it is not because there were any changes made.
There simply weren’t any businesses open or cars on the road for most of 2020 thanks to the pandemic.
However, as countries begin to look for recovery plans, green projects seem to be the most popular choice. Thus there is hope.
Unfortunately, countries following through with their pledges and climate goals is still yet to be seen.
