Global warming. We’ve all heard the term but may not know the numbers or even understand what it really means. So here’s the spiel. Global temperatures have been steadily rising with the onset of the industrial revolution. Since 1880 (till now in 2020), the global average temperature has increased by about 1 ℃ where two thirds of this increase has occurred since 1975. Temperatures are projected to increase at about 0.15 ℃ to 0.3 ℃ each decade, subject to future global emission levels.

This increase might seem small but we need to consider that this is a global average increase. Given the enormous size and heat capacity of our oceans, it takes a truly significant and massive amount of heat energy to raise Earth’s average yearly (surface) temperature by even a small amount. Earth is warming faster than at any time in the past 10,000 years.

Nine of our world’s warmest years on record have occurred since 2005. By extrapolation, from 2005 to 2019 and only within a span of 14 years, the world has managed to break global heat records 9 times relative to pre-2005 temperatures with the exception of the year 1998. At the time of writing, 1998 is the only year from the 20th century to remain in the top 10 warmest years (which includes the 9 warmest years since 2005). A deeply concerning pattern is emerging if we look back to 1988, that as we progress each calendar year, it gets added to the top 10 warmest years at the time. But these warmest years will eventually replaced by future years as the “top ten warmest” window continually moves forward in time.

Rising global temperatures is the first “immediate” effect of greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn relates to the wider causalities and effects of climate change. Droughts, bushfires, hurricanes, floods, heatwaves and so much more, it all starts here.

*The featured image on this page is of the Griesgletscher glacier in Obergoms, Switzerland. It is rapidly declining due to global warming and will likely disappear altogether in just a matter of years.