By Dylan Stovall, Staff Writer
November just became the sixth consecutive month in 2023 to set a heat record for that month. The globally averaged temperature for November was up 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit above its average, creating a large margin over the previous record holder, November, 2020.
Various parts of the globe have been experiencing a heat wave this previous month as 2023 will soon be crowned the warmest year on record.
Senior musical theatre major Laura Diaferia shared some of her fears in regard to the future of the planet and the safety of the future generations.
“I am worried for my kids that they won’t even have snow days,” Diaferia said. “I remember as a kid we used to have a lot more snow in December and now it doesn’t really even snow in that month. We could be doing a lot of a better job at reducing our carbon footprint. There are a lot of factories owned by big corporations that are contributing to the destruction of our planet unfortunately.”
The United Nations Weather Agency has begun to express concerns over these extreme weather patterns that the planet has been experiencing as being driving factors for devastating events like droughts, wildfires, glacier melts and floods. Events like this cause food shortages, population displacements and an increase in vulnerability of those uprooted by
violent situations.
As all of this happens, the world has still seen a rise in global greenhouse gasses as well as record-breaking sea levels rising and a spike in the surface temperatures.
A 2023 report done by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) states “The rate of sea level rise from 2013-2022 is more than twice the rate of the first decade of the satellite record (1993-2002) because of continued ocean warming and melting of glaciers and ice sheets.”
Junior communications major Julia Helldorfer found a passion for fighting climate change after she took a class on the subject last semester.
“In my class we talked about ocean heat and icebergs melting,” Helldorfer shared. “Millions of years of ice that has been there forever is starting to melt and the animals that are living in the ocean are having to move and adapt to new and different temperatures. The ocean is getting too hot and it’s getting harder to sustain life.”
Since the industrial revolution, greenhouse gasses have been rapidly rising to the atmosphere, acting as a blanket to trap the heat on the land and water. This warming ultimately affects the water cycle making wet seasons even wetter and droughts drier because of the way the water is evaporated, making already devastating events even more intense.
Although most of the reports have been published with these predictions for the rest of the calendar year, the final version of the State of The Global Climate 2023 report will be published in the early months of 2024. With the finalized report, corporations and consumers will continue to be aware of the global impact they make each day.
“Individuals need to vote for people who can and are looking to help in the situation,” Helldorfer said. “Try and get a hybrid or an electric car and don’t let the water run while you brush your teeth. Just basic stuff like that. Try and plant native plants around your property because that really helps climate change by bringing in fresh air and animals.”
The WMO is still optimistic as they navigate how to solve this global climate catastrophe. WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas shared some words of advice in an interview with AP News. “We have to reduce our consumption of coal, oil and natural gas dramatically. Luckily, things are happening. But still, we in the Western countries, in the rich countries, we are still consuming oil, a little bit less coal than in the past, and still natural gas,” Taalas shared.
Be First to Comment