July 4th 2023 will be remembered. Not as another US Independence Day, there have been 247 of those. But as another day the overall world temperature reached a new record. The hottest day in History so far. And we are already seeing the consequences of our folly in rising seas, failing harvests, pandemics and mass migrations of people.
So, as anyone who might want a future for the children and grandchildren might speculate, is there any hope at all? Or are we already inside a process of irretrievable ecological collapse? Writing in The Conversation, the admirable Dr Kimberley Reid [1] gives a snapshot of where we are and where we might be going. Kimberley is a savvy thinker. She doesn’t fall prey to a single datum point and brandish it hysterically. Instead she tries to look at the entire range of factors impinging on us in this sweltering early 21st century July. The famous ocean effect El Niño is considered, and factored in. As are aerosols, and changes in wind patterns over the Sahara desert. In fact, if you want a master class in sober, thoughtful reporting, then this is it.
And-are we doomed? Well at the moment, the 1.5 C breach may still be an anomaly, brought about by the above factors. But if it is fixed, say by about 2035, then we are truly in unknown country indeed.
[1]https://theconversation.com/why-are-so-many-climate-records-breaking-all-at-once-209214?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20
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