It’s hard to overstate just how exceptionally high global temperatures are now, but we have the technology to avert disaster
New data shows average global temperatures in September were not just the hottest ever recorded, but 0.5C above the previous record for the month. They were about 1.8CThe scientist and writer Zeke Hausfather is not prone to hyperbole but was quick to put this into context on social media, saying it was – in his “professional opinion as a climate scientist” – bananas. “It’s hard to overstate just how exceptionally high global temperatures are at the moment,”We’re seeing this in Australia.
The hottest times of the day were particularly ridiculous in southern parts of the continent. In New South Wales, maximum temperatures across September were 5.07C warmer than what we would have expected late last century. Other states were not far behind.While some set new records, it was not the hottest September ever across the continent – that prize is still held by 2013.
It’s worth a closer look, not least because fossil fuel backers often claim the IEA says the world needs more of what they’re selling. This report – an updated roadmap for how we could keep the global goal of limiting heating to 1.5C within reach – clearly does not say this., it makes three main points. The first is that some important clean energy tech – solar energy, electric cars and battery production – is now being rolled out.
The second point is that, more than ever, we have the technology. Two years ago the IEA estimated that the clean technology needed to provide nearly half the emissions reductions across the planet by 2050 was not yet available. That gap has now dropped to 35% as new technologyIt means the main goal now must be rapid acceleration before 2030. That’s easier said than done, but it’s possible using proven and in most cases affordable strategies.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Afternoon Update: planet records hottest September ever; new King Charles coins; and the best and worst dishwashing detergentsScientists are stunned by the size of the heat jump, with one calling it ‘gobsmackingly bananas’
Read more »
‘Gobsmackingly bananas’: scientists stunned by planet’s record September heatThe carbon emissions driving the climate crisis and rapid arrival of an El Niño event are to blame, researchers say
Read more »
New low as Putin’s global threat backfiresThe late US Senator John McCain once described Russia as a “gas station masquerading as a country” with almost two thirds of its exports being fuels and energy products.
Read more »
WiseTech Global snaps up shipping container marketplaceThe $20.66 billion software giant has bought a small Australian company, continuing its history of acquisitions.
Read more »
The European tax that could alter global trade flowsEurope’s new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which will tax the carbon intensity of imports, went live on Sunday.
Read more »