It’s getting toasty in Antarctica. A new record was just set of 18.3 degrees Celsius, which for us in America is 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Right now, in Baton Rouge, it’s 62 degrees Fahrenheit. The high in Tampa, Florida, today was 59 degrees Fahrenheit. It is warmer in Antarctica than it is in Louisiana and Florida. True, it’s summertime there, but still, the idea of it being warmer in Antarctica than south Louisiana and Florida is something.
The fact that it is warmer in Antarctica than it is in places known for sunshine and warmth even in February should really scare you.
18,3°C in Antarctica. https://t.co/0VOSdLzXTy
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 7, 2020
The new record overtook the older one that was recorded by the Argentine research base Esperanza, which is located on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Professor James Renwick, a climate scientist at Victoria University of Wellington pointed out that it had only been five years since that record had been set, and now it is almost one degree Celsius higher. He tells The Guardian, “To have a new record set that quickly is surprising, but who knows how long that will last? Possibly not that long at all.”
The World Meteorological Organization, which still has to confirm the new record, recently confirmed that 2019 was the second hottest year on record, only trailing 2016, and that by just 1.1 degree C. “The average global temperature has risen by about 1.1°C since the pre-industrial era and ocean heat content is at a record level,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “On the current path of carbon dioxide emissions, we are heading towards a temperature increase of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius by the end of century.”
The climate is changing, yet so many still believe that it’s not or that it’s just a hoax. However, if the temperatures in Antarctica are that of Louisiana and other Southern states that are used to very mild winters, then we should wake up. Just a few days ago, USA Today reported that the rise in sea levels is accelerating along US coasts. “There is a clear trend toward acceleration in rates of sea-level rise at 25 of our 32 tide-gauge stations,” said Professor John Boon of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
If it continues to get hotter in Antarctica, the US will eventually be impacted. The whole world will be. And it won’t be easy to fix or deal with.
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