Article by Eric Worrell
With the UK experiencing extreme cold and near-blackouts, now is obviously the perfect time for British scientists to tell everyone just how hot it is.
My new crimson climate stripe for 2024 shows it's the hottest year yet
Published: January 10, 2025, 10pm (AEDT)
Ed Hawkins
Professor of Climate Science, University of Reading…
Adopted around the world as a symbol of climate awareness, action and ambition, these “warm stripes” have just been updated with new crimson stripes for 2024.
No one directly experiences the global average temperature. But we can use the same method to describe our local climate experience. The UK has experienced its fourth hottest year on record. Other countries, such as Germany, experienced their hottest year on record.
…
Well done humans. Because it is we who are causing the planet’s rapid warming, with its devastating consequences for people and ecosystems, that are so evident today and every day. Due to our reliance on burning fossil fuels, many extreme weather events have become more severe, causing suffering around the world.
…
Learn more: https://theconversation.com/my-new-dark-red-climate-stripe-for-2024-shows-its-the-hottest-year-yet-246914
This article explores all the bad things Ed Hawkins believes are caused by global warming, such as the Los Angeles fires. Bizarrely, Ed forgot to include Britain's current extreme cold snap in his list of climate disasters.
If given a choice between affordable home heating and climate action, my guess is that most Britons would now choose the affordable home heating option.
If an extreme cold wave with wind and solar energy close to zero can occur under a global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius, then it can obviously also occur under a global warming of 2 degrees Celsius or even 3 degrees Celsius. In fact, if Ed's predictions of more extreme weather are correct, the cold snap the UK is currently experiencing could become more likely or more extreme.
Of course, given the inability of climate models to predict the current increase in global temperatures, it is clear that there are substantial climate forcings that have not yet been captured by models. As a result, everyone is guessing where global temperatures will go next.
Let's hope the UK doesn't give up a viable future by taking so much action on global warming that they all freeze to death. As the UK continues to work to undermine its own industrial competitiveness and energy affordability, it will have no impact on the determination of India and China to lift their people out of abject poverty by providing low-cost fossil fuel electricity as fast as they can build coal-fired power plants.
Relevant
Learn more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to have the latest posts delivered to your email.
