2022-23 – HOTTEST YEAR
CONTEXT:
- Recently the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said this year is on track to become the hottest year on record.
MORE ABOUT THE NEWS:
- According to European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the global temperature for January-September is also 1.4C higher than the preindustrial average (from the years 1850 to 1900).
- The body’s analysis is based on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations.
- Last year was not a record, though the world was 1.2C warmer than pre-industrial times.
- The previous record belonged to 2016 and 2020 when temperatures were an average of 1.25 degrees C higher.
- Antarctic sea ice extent remained at a record low level for the time of year, while the Arctic Sea ice extent is 18% below average.
CAUSES OF SUCH HIGH TEMPERATURES :
- Extreme heat is fueled by the climate crisis, the chief driver of which is then burning of fossil fuels.
- Rising carbon emissions and climate change are key factors behind this prediction.
- Scientists have said climate change combined with the emergence this year of the El Nino weather pattern, which warms the surface waters in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, have fueled recent record-breaking temperatures.
- The WMO says this combination is set to push global temperatures to a new record in the next five years,
- El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern that contributes to higher temperatures across the globe.
- The U.N. weather agency declared the onset of El Niño on July 4, warning its return paves the way for a likely spike in global temperatures and extreme weather conditions.
SYLLABUS: PRELIMS, CURRENT AFFAIRS
