While many were feeling the extreme heat, it’s now official, July 2019 was the hottest recorded month in history. This has replaced July 2016 as the previous record holder.
July is typically the hottest month of the year. But unlike the previous record holder, this year did not have a significant El Niño. Instead, the main reason it was so hot was due to climate change.
Impact of an El Niño
To put it simply, an El Niño is best identified by its warming effect on the Pacific Ocean. This, in turn, raises the global temperature when a severe El Niño occurs.
This is exactly what happened in July 2016.
However, while 2019 did experience an El Niño at the beginning of the year, it was not significant and is moving towards a neutral phase at this point.
Meaning that unlike previous record holders, the case in 2019 is very special because it is proof that the planet is simply getting warmer.
The Records Don’t Lie
From 2015 onwards, April, May, and July have been some of the hottest months in history.
In fact, the last 4 years of 2015-2018, have been the hottest 4 years to date.
And 2019 will most likely make it 5 years in a row.
Paris Agreement Is Not Enough
While the Paris Agreement was created with the best intentions, it has failed to bring significant change. The majority of nations have fallen behind their pledges.
On top of this, carbon emissions have begun rising according to Emissions Gap Report 2018.
To stay on track to keep the global temperature from rising by 1.5C at the end of the century, significant change is required.
However, we only have until 2030 to make the necessary changes before it is too late. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that this will occur.
Climate Change Is Here
Extreme heat is here and it will only get worse as more greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere. Places around the world are experiencing this first hand.
For example, in Greenland, 11 billion tons of ice was melted in a single day in July.
The last four years are the hottest in history, and that trend is going to become the new norm as climate conditions worsen.
