March 2024 has officially been confirmed as the hottest March on record, according to scientists at the Copernicus Climate Change Service. It was preceded by the hottest February, the hottest January, and so forth, stretching back for the past 10 months starting with July 2023. And experts warn that the trend is only going to continue.
What is happening?
"Jaw-dropping July-like heat blanketed Japan on March 31. 70 places broke or tied the monthly record," Sayaka Mori, a meteorologist with NHK World, posted on X (formerly known as Twitter). "Tokyo reached 28.1°C [82.6 degrees Fahreheit], making it the hottest March day since records began in 1876. This was nearly 12°C higher than normal and 3°C higher than the previous March record. Oh no…"
Statistics like these could be found all over Europe and Asia, as at least eight individual countries set national records for March warmth. Parts of West Africa, Central America, and several tropical locations also set heat records.
Why is this concerning?
According to a scientific study recently published in the journal Science (one of thousands of such studies at this point), these extreme heatwaves are due to the continued overheating of our planet caused by human activities, such as creating polluting gases like carbon dioxide and methane.
"Under global warming, heatwaves have increased in frequency, intensity, and duration notably across many parts of the world during the past decades," the study's authors wrote. "Moreover, these metrics are projected to further intensify in the coming decades under different carbon dioxide emission and socioeconomic development scenarios."
Even more concerning, this overheating hasn't just led to warmer days — the changes to the climate have led to an increased severity and frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and more.
What is being done about it?
The most urgent and crucial thing that we as a society can do to mitigate the ongoing climate crisis is to transition away from dirty energy sources like coal and oil and toward clean, renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
Unfortunately, most dirty energy companies have no real plans to stop causing environmental harm, and world governments have no real plans to stop them.
The good news is that individuals can still make a difference. If you would like to reduce your personal air pollution contributions, you can take steps such as installing solar panels on your home, getting a heat pump, or switching to an electric car — and, as a bonus, all of those options are likely to save you money in the long run.
And more broadly, you can get more involved on climate issues and try to make an even bigger difference with the policies, politicians, and businesses you support, or even advocate for change at work.
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