The temperature of the Earth has been rising for the past 33 years. Recent reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) monthly global climate report show that this is the 400th consecutive month of warmer-than-usual monthly averages.
It was back in 1984 when Earth had the last cooler-than-average month. The NOAA report went on to say that this April had the third-highest temperature of any April in recorded history since 1880. “It’s mainly due to anthropogenic (human-caused) warming,” NOAA climatologist Ahira Sanchez told CNN. “Climate change is real, and we will continue to see global temperatures increase in the future.”
There have been a lot of efforts to reduce overall CO2 emissions. However, there still remains a pushback from the supporters of fossil fuels and countries with a rapidly expanding population has a huge reliance on them. But, the greatest amount of fossil fuel is still being used by global powers like the US.
“We live in and share a world that is unequivocally, appreciably and consequentially warmer than just a few decades ago, and our world continues to warm,” said NOAA climate scientist Deke Arndt. “Speeding by a ‘400’ sign only underscores that, but it does not prove anything new.”
The report further explains that some areas were hit harder by the heat than others. The heat was mostly concentrated in Europe and the continent had the warmest April in recorded history. Australia also recorded the second-warmest month this April.
Some particular portions of Asia also saw extreme heat. The town of Nawabshah in southern Pakistan hit 122.4 degrees Fahrenheit on April 30 and climatologists are currently trying to determine if this is the hottest April temperature on the entire planet.