2020 was the warmest year recorded in Europe, breaking the previous 2019 record by 0.4°C, according Copernicus, the EU’s satellite earth observation system. Globally, the year tied with 2016 as the hottest on record.
Highlighting a consistent trend since the past decade, 2020 was also the sixth consecutive year to be the hottest on record. Worryingly, this occurred in a “La Nina” year, where climate conditions are usually cooler.
2016, which tied with 2020 for being the hottest year, was an “El Nino” year, where climate conditions would naturally be hotter, alongside man-made warming.
“We are in an era of sustained record breaking years. This is no longer breaking news, but a human crisis,” said Dr. Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography.
Earth Draws Closer to Climate Change Tipping Points After Another Year of Record Heat
Another year of record-high heat punctuated a decade-long increase in global temperatures that has placed the Earth’s economies dangerously close to climate tipping points.
Those are the conclusions published Friday by European Union scientists. Despite pandemic-induced lockdowns of the global economy in 2020, greenhouse gas emissions continued to accumulate in the atmosphere, propelling the world closer to crossing the 1.5 degree Celsius warming threshold that climate models predict will lead to more frequent superstorms and higher sea levels.
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“The last decade was the warmest on record, and is yet another reminder of the urgency of ambitious emissions reductions to prevent adverse climate impacts in the future,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Chance Service. “2020 stands out for its exceptional warmth in the Arctic and a record number of tropical storm
Calendar year 2020 was an extreme and abnormal year, in so many ways. The global coronavirus pandemic altered people’s lives around the world, as did extreme weather and climate events. Let’s review the year’s top 10 such events.
1. Hottest Year on Record?
The official rankings will not be released until January 14, but according to NASA, Earth’s average surface temperature in 2020 is likely to tie with 2016 for the hottest year on record, making the last seven years the seven hottest on record.
Remarkably, the record warmth of 2020 occurred during a minimum in the solar cycle and in a year in which a moderate La Niña event formed. Surface cooling of the tropical Pacific during La Niña events typically causes a slight global cool-down, as does the minimum of the solar cycle, making it difficult to set all-time heat records. The record heat of 2020 in these circumstances is a demonstration of how powerful human causes of global warming have become.