Hot, Hot, Hot


It's inarguable that our world is heating up. While some don't want to accept it, the world is heating faster than ever since we've maintained records.

Here are the latest headlines.

A quarter of the world's population experienced record heat in 2021. 

2021 was New Zealand's hottest year on record.

Australia just logged its hottest day ever. The West Australian town of Onslow hit 50.7 Celsius. For perspective, that's still just 1.1 C hotter than the 49.6 C that swept Lytton, B.C., last summer.

In the States, winter has become the fastest warming season. 

On Tuesday we learned that 2021 saw the world's oceans reach their hottest temperatures on record. Oceans absorb about 70 per cent of CO2 emissions but a staggering 90 per cent of the heat created by anthropogenic global warming. The problem is that changes in prevailing winds and ocean currents can cause oceans to release some of that retained heat.

It is important to bear in mind that these impacts are the result of 1.2 degrees Celsius of heating. The international community has an aspirational goal of keeping warming to 1.5 C. Our increasing use of fossil fuels belies their sincerity.

One thing 2021 showed quite starkly is that we're not remotely prepared to cope with 1.2 C of warming. How are we supposed to cope with  1.5 C impacts?

Don't ask the prime minister. He's busy building his pipeline. 

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