"Don't Melt Our Future"
Photo Credit and Caption: Stuttgart Fridays for Future (Fyraan/Wikimedia Commons)
Today, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service released troubling data: 2020 tied 2016 as the two hottest years on record and 2010 to 2020 was the hottest decade on record. Temperatures in 2020 were 1.08 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the average temperature from 1981 to 2010.
This happened with lockdowns.
In April, when lockdowns were the most strict in the U.S. and Europe, researchers found that daily global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were 17% below their 2019 average. In total, globally, lockdowns and the accompanying reduction in traffic dropped global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel by about 7% in 2020. Dr. Glen Peters, from the Centre for International Climate Research in Norway, said, "You’d have to go back to 1945 – the second world war – to see a relative drop bigger than this 7%." And still, that was not enough to stop the record-breaking temperature fluctuations.
And, without El Niño's warmth.
El Niño, which brings warmer temperatures, and La Niña, which is marked by cooler weather, are phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle. These phases usually last for around 12 months and they occur roughly every two to seven years, with El Niño appearing more often than La Niña. The high temperatures of 2016 are often linked to El Niño events. But, those did not occur in 2020.
What stood out?
In March 2020, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned that 2020 might yield "above average" temperatures. WMO Secretary-General Taalas said, "The signal from human-induced climate change is now as powerful as that from a major natural force of nature.” The Arctic is particularly noteworthy as it experienced some of the most extreme temperature changes observed in 2020, continuing the alarming trend of warming twice as fast as other regions on Earth. There were also 30 storms during the Atlantic's hurricane season and the worst wildfire season ever recorded in the United States.
Read and Join All We Can Save. Solving climate change is a massive undertaking that involves every aspect of our society. Girl Friday's October 2020 Bold and Bookish selection was "All We Can Save," an anthology of essays and other works by women, from various fields, leading climate change efforts. Edited by Drs. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson, the book offers hope, wisdom, and tangible solutions. This year, the editors also launched the All We Can Save Project, "to accelerate the success of the climate movement by providing focused support and community building for women climate leaders."
Amplify Gen Z Climate Activists. According to Amnesty International's 2019 Future of Humanity survey, climate change is one of Gen Z's (born between 1997-2015) chief concerns. Many of these activists are girls of color around the world who need support. One example is Leah Namugerwa of Uganda who leads the #BanPlasticUG campaign. She urges her government to seriously consider the impacts of plastic on the environment. Namugerwa is also a Fridays for Future team leader, bringing Greta Thunberg's climate strike to Uganda.