Global climate watchers are buzzing: September just became the third-warmest on record, with average land and sea temps hitting a sizzling 16.11°C 🌡️. That’s 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels – a clear signal that greenhouse gases are keeping our planet on the boil.
Here’s the lowdown:
- Land & Sea Heat: Land and sea temps stayed high, even if they dipped slightly from last year. The sea surface averaged 20.72°C, with the North Pacific reaching historic highs in spots.
- El Niño Watch: The central and eastern equatorial Pacific stayed near or below average, hinting at a neutral phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (a major climate pattern).
- Melting Ice: Arctic sea ice was 12% below the long-term average, while Antarctic ice was 5% under. Imagine losing a chunk of ice the size of Bangladesh every month.
As Samantha Burgess from Copernicus C3S explains, persistently high land and sea surface temperatures reflect the continuing influence of greenhouse gas accumulation. Basically, our emissions keep stacking up, and the planet keeps warming.
On the bright side, global think tank Ember highlights how China's green energy boom is powering a shift away from coal 🔋🌿. From massive solar farms in the Gobi Desert to offshore wind off the coast of the Chinese mainland, clean energy is scaling up fast.
For South and Southeast Asia – where we’ve felt the heatwaves in Delhi, flash floods in Jakarta, and electric monsoons in Chennai – this is a wake-up call. It’s time to push for more green tech, cleaner energy policies, and lifestyle tweaks that are climate-friendly. We’ve got one planet, and it’s heating up fast 🗺️🔥.
Reference(s):
World just experienced its third warmest September on record
cgtn.com
