Global Warming Is Upon Us

Various news media are predicting a “heat dome” (a high-pressure ridge in the upper atmosphere) over much of the Western United States in the next week or so. This is likely not to be the first such occurrence this year. Temperature records up and down California will be broken.

For the last several years, as part of our ongoing research that has resulted in the publication of two books concerning global warming and climate change, we have been tracking the steady increase in global temperatures. When the latest edition of our book The Global Climate Crisis: What to Do About It was published three months ago in March, a new world temperature record had been set. That record didn’t last long.

So far, 2024 is continuing to be even hotter. May 2024 was the 12th month in a row to set a new monthly temperature record. The ocean average temperature in 2024 is also setting new records. According to Berkeley Earth, “2023 was the warmest year on Earth since 1850, exceeding the previous record set in 2016 by a clear and definitive margin.” The global mean temperature in 2023 is estimated to have been about 1.54°C (2.77°F) above the average global temperature from 1850-1900, the pre-industrial average temperature used as the baseline for measuring the Earth’s average temperature increase.

Although the exact temperature estimate may vary somewhat, other authoritative sources also confirm that 2023 was the hottest year on record by a wide margin. For the first time, the average temperature increase on land exceeded 2.0°C (3.7°F) in 2023 and the ocean average temperature rose by more than 1°C (1.8°F). According to NASA, “The 10 warmest years in the 174-year record have all occurred during the last decade (2014-2023).

We’re not as bad off as much of the rest of the world. Population centers in places like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Palestine, The Philippines, and Thailand are particularly vulnerable because of large populations, inadequate shelter, and limited medical resources. An additional concern is the growing risk of wildfires. Experience has shown that California is particularly vulnerable, and in many areas exposed to wildfire risk, homeowner insurance is no longer available.

The best advice: use caution in travelling in remote or desert areas, stay hydrated, and monitor the weather and wildfire reports.

Craig B. Smith and William D. Fletcher are the authors of “The Global Climate Crisis: What To Do About It.”