Climate scientists and political leaders alike are concerned about climate change after a record-breaking week of heat.
Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said in a statement that “climate change is out of control” after data revealed that this past week saw the highest average temperatures ever recorded globally.
“If we persist in delaying key measures that are needed, I think we are moving into a catastrophic situation, as the last two records in temperature demonstrates,” he said.
57 million people in the United States experienced dangerous heat levels on July 4, at the same time China was experiencing a debilitating heat wave. Temperatures in North Africa were reported to have reached 122 degrees Fahrenheit, with the overall global average temperature reaching 62.92F.
While temperature records only consistently exist beginning in the 1970s, scientists believe that the last week has been the hottest within the last 125,000 years, approximately. While the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that they could not confirm the claims, the spike still shows patterns that raise alarm.
“We recognize that we are in a warm period due to climate change, and combined with El Niño and hot summer conditions, we’re seeing record warm surface temperatures being recorded at many locations across the globe,” the organization said Thursday.
Within the next five years, global temperatures are predicted to rise beyond an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), according to a report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which said in May that there is now a 66 percent chance of reaching the average by 2027.
The Paris Climate Accords of 2015 set to limit greenhouse gas emissions to prevent global temperatures from rising above 1.5C. While the goal is still attainable, data in the WMO report and from recent increasing temperatures reflect a failure among world leaders to limit fossil fuel usage.
