Tag Archives: climate change

2015: Warmest Year on Record for Planet Earth

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Its official!  2015 was the warmest year ever recorded on this planet.

According to a report by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Earth’s combined average temperature for the year – over both land and sea surfaces – was 58.62°F. That is a staggering 1.62°F above the 20th century average. It smashed the previous annual record set just last year by 0.29°F – the largest margin on record. 2015 also marked the 39th consecutive year that our annual global temperature was above its long-term norm.

While a strong El Niño –a periodic natural climate phenomenon – influenced this record warmth, it does not tell the whole story. The long-term trend of human-caused climate change was also a key factor. NOAA reports that fifteen of the sixteen warmest years on record have occurred this century and they were not all El Niño years.

Although heat dominated most of the planet in 2015, some places were particularly warm, including North America. Here in the contiguous US, with an annual temperature of 54.4°F, which is 2.4°F above average, it was our second warmest year on record. Only 2012 was warmer in the lower forty-eight states.

Overall, having back-to-back record warm years is a somewhat rare event. But, as greenhouse gases – the main drivers of global warming – continue to spew into the atmosphere, our average global temperature will continue to rise and records will likely continue to fall. Global temperature records date back to 1880.

WarmestYears

Sixteen Warmest Years on Record (1880–2015). Credit: NOAA.

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2015: Warmest Year on Record. Credit: NOAA

December 2015: Warmest December on Record for Planet Earth

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Like most of the US, including here in NYC, temperatures across the globe soared last month. In fact, December 2015 was Earth’s warmest December on record.

According to the latest report from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, the planet’s combined average temperature for the month – over both land and sea surfaces – was 56°F, which is a whopping 2°F above the 20th century average. It also marked the highest departure from average for any month on record, surpassing the previous record set this past October. Moreover, it was the 8th consecutive month this year to break a global temperature record.

Closer to home, the continental US was also record warm this December. Twenty-nine states – mostly in the east – reported record high temperatures for the month.

With December closing out the year, 2015 is now ranked as the warmest year this planet has seen since record keeping began in 1880.

Credit: NOAA

Credit: NOAA

Panel Discussion: “The Paris Climate Agreement – Our Take”

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Last month’s climate change agreement, COP21, was an historic event. Nearly 200 countries came together and agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions over time. Looking at ways to harness this positive momentum at the local level, the non-proft group, NYC Metro Climate Reality Leaders, is hosting a panel discussion this Tuesday, January 12th, at Civic Hall called, “The Paris Agreement: COP 21 – Our Take.”

As a member of the panel, I will be speaking about the benefits of cross-disciplinary collaborations in the arts and sciences. Offering observations and opinions from their own unique perspectives, my fellow panelists include:

Harriet Shugarman, Founder and Executive Director of Climate Mama will moderate the panel. Mrs. Shugarman and Simone Rothman, Founder and CEO of Future Air, are co-producers of the event.

The discussion begins at 5PM and will be followed a Q&A session. This event is free, but does require registration. Seats are limited.  Hope you can join us.

Civic Hall
156 Fifth Ave, 2nd Floor
(Between 20th and 21st Streets)
New York, NY 10010

Warmest November and Warmest Autumn on Record for Planet Earth

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Our global temperature continued its seemingly unending upward trend last month with November 2015 marking not only the warmest November on record, but also closing out the warmest meteorological autumn ever recorded for the entire planet.

According to the State of the Climate report by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Earth’s combined average temperature for the month – over both land and sea surfaces – was 56.95°F, which is a whopping 1.75°F above the 20th century average. It surpassed the previous record set in 2013 by 0.27°F and was the second highest departure from average for any month ever recorded. The highest departure (1.79°F) occurred last month. November also marked the seventh consecutive month this year to break a monthly temperature record.

The three-month period of September, October, and November – known as the meteorological autumn in the northern hemisphere – was also a record breaker. The planet’s temperature for the season was 58.83°F, which is 1.73°F above average. That is also 0.38°F above the previous record that was set just last year.

While heat dominated most of the planet this autumn, some places were particularly warm, including North America. Here in the contiguous US, with a seasonal temperature of 56.8°F, which is 3.3°F above average, it was our warmest autumn on record. The previous record was set in 1962.

Although strong El Niño conditions –a periodic natural climate phenomenon – helped fuel this record warmth, it does not tell the whole story. The long-term trend of human-caused climate change was also a key factor. NOAA reports that fourteen of the fifteen warmest years on record have occurred since 2000 and they were not all El Niño years.

Year to date, the first eleven months of 2015 were the warmest of any year on record. At this point, December’s global temperature will have to be significantly below average to prevent 2015 from surpassing 2014 as the warmest year ever recorded on this planet. Global temperature records date back to 1880.

Credit: NOAA

Record Warm Autumn (Sept, Oct, Nov) for the planet. Credit: NOAA

Historic Deal Reached at UN Climate Change Conference in Paris

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After decades of failed attempts, a global climate change agreement was reached at the  UN Climate Conference in Paris (COP 21) on Saturday. The deal, known as the Paris Agreement, marks the first time in history that all member nations agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in some way.

In the past, only developed economies like the US and EU were required to act while less developed economies like India and China were exempt. This was one of the major reasons why previous attempts to reach a worldwide climate agreement failed. The more universal approach used this time was largely attributed to, and builds on, last year’s bi-lateral climate pact between the US and China – the worlds two largest carbon polluters.

More than a year in the making, this hard won agreement has set the target of holding global warming to 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels and urged countries to pursue an even tighter cap of 1.5°C (2.7°F) if possible. To achieve this goal, it employs a mix of voluntary and legally binding actions. While every country will follow their own emissions reduction plan, there is no requirement quantifying the amount of greenhouse gases they have cut or how it has to be done. Additionally, there are no penalties for those who do not live up to their promises. Based on the current collection of national plans, which vary widely in ambition, this agreement will only cut greenhouse gas emissions by about half of what is necessary to reach the 2°C (3.6°F) goal. But, the agreement does legally obligate countries to reconvene every five years to present updated plans spelling out how they will deepen their emissions cuts. It also requires countries to publically report how much emissions they have actually eliminated compared to their plans every five years starting in 2023.

The ultimate outcome of this historic deal will not be known for years to come, especially since it depends heavily on the tactic of “name and shame” and the hope that no country wants to be seen as a slacker in the eyes of the world. It is also deeply dependent on the actions of future government officials who will have to carry out these plans. That said, the global participation and overall spirit of the agreement is, without a doubt, a solid step in the right direction in terms of addressing climate change.  The Paris Agreement goes into effect in 2020.

COP 21 in Paris. Credit: Arc20

COP 21 in Paris. Credit: Arc2020

UN Climate Change Conference: What the 2°C Goal Means

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The goal of COP 21 – the massive UN Climate Change Conference in Paris – is to limit global warming to 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels by reducing greenhouse gas emissions around the world. But why, you may wonder, is 2°C the target and what happens if we pass it?  Below is a short video by Climate Central, a non-profit news organization, that addresses these important questions.

The UN Climate Change Conference in Paris is Underway

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The UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, officially known as the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is now underway. The goal of this massive meeting is to get 195 countries to agree on a deal that will reduce carbon emissions and limit global warming to 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels.

According to the latest IPCC report, the Earth’s average temperature has increased 1.5°F since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1880. This may not sound like a lot, but it has huge and often interrelated impacts. As more and more heat is trapped in our atmosphere by increasing amounts of greenhouse gases, long established weather patterns are being altered. Different regions, therefore, are being affected in different ways. Some places are getting wetter and others dryer. Many areas are also seeing an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. In the Arctic, a region on the front lines of climate change, warmer temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are causing glaciers to melt and consequently sea levels around the planet to rise.

While world leaders agree that this is a global problem and something needs to be done, they have not been able to decide exactly what course of action to take. Developed and developing countries have long standing disagreements about how to deal with this critical issue, which is one of the major reasons why the last two attempts to reach a worldwide climate agreement – Kyoto in 1997 and Copenhagen in 2009 – failed.   This time, however, there is a sound basis for some sort of meaningful deal.

Laying the groundwork for this meeting, last year’s Lima Accord made history as all nations agreed for the first time to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in some way. Under that agreement, every country had to submit an “intended nationally determined contribution” or INDC prior to the Paris summit in which they spell out how much CO2 they plan to cut based on their own political and economic situations. But, as they stand now, these collective pledges will not meet the 2°C (3.6°F) goal. Instead, according to a UN report, they would only limit global warming to between 2.7°C and 3.7°C (4.8°F to 6.6°F) by 2100.

The negotiators in Paris have their work cut out for them, especially as any deal will have to pass by unanimous consent. The conference runs through December 11th.

Credit: UN

Credit: UN

October 2015: Warmest October on Record for Planet Earth

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Our global temperature continued its upward trend last month with October 2015 marking the warmest October ever recorded for the entire planet.

According to the State of the Climate report by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Earth’s combined average temperature for the month – over both land and sea surfaces – was 58.86°F, which is a whopping 1.76°F above the 20th century average. It surpassed the previous record set in October 2014 by 0.36°F. It also marked the highest departure from average for any month on record, eclipsing the previous record set just last month. October was also the sixth consecutive month this year to break a monthly temperature record.

Although strong El Niño conditions – a natural climate phenomena that boosts oceanic and atmospheric temperatures – helped fuel October’s record warmth, it does not tell the whole story. The long-term trend of human-caused climate change was also a key factor. NOAA reports that fourteen of the fifteen warmest years on record have occurred since 2000 and they were not all El Niño years.

While heat dominated most of the planet last month, some places were particularly warm, including most of Australia and North America. Here in the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 57.4°F, it was our fourth warmest October on record and the warmest since 1963.

Year to date, the first ten months of 2015 were the warmest of any year on record. This strengthens the likelihood that 2015 will surpass 2014 as the Earth’s warmest year ever recorded. Global temperature records date back to 1880.

Credit: NOAA

Credit: NOAA

Speaking Event: The Art and Science of Climate Change

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Climate change is a complex scientific subject with a plethora of data-rich reports that detail its diverse impacts. Not everyone, however, responds to facts and figures or charts and graphs. That is why art can help broaden the public conversation and help create new pathways to understanding this critical issue.

On Monday, November 16th, I will be giving a presentation that I developed called The Art and Science of Climate Change at The Cooper Union Institute for Sustainable Design. Blending my two worlds, it introduces the basic science of climate change and explores how artists from around the globe are reacting to its various impacts and possible solutions.

After the talk, there will be a reception for the group art exhibition, Visualizing Climate Change in which I will be showing images from my ongoing project on American Glaciers. The show runs through November 23rd.

The lecture begins at 6PM and the gallery reception runs from 7PM to 8:30PM. But please note, to attend the talk you must RSVP via email to: isd@cooper.edu. Seats are limited. No RSVP is required for the exhibition reception following the talk. If you are in the area, please stop in and say hello. This event is co-sponsored by the SciArt Center.

The Cooper Union Institute for Sustainable Design
​7 East 7th Street, Room 715
(Between Third and Fourth Avenues)
New York, NY 10003

Please contact me to arrange a presentation for your organization.

Art Exhibition: Visualizing Climate Change

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The Cooper Union Institute for Sustainable Design is bringing art and science together this month in an effort to expand public understanding of climate change. In a group exhibition called Visualizing Climate Change, artworks of various mediums explore the challenges of this pressing issue.

“Each exhibited work,” according to the curators, “seeks to conflate the bounds of science, art, architecture and engineering in order to provide fresh insight, expression and understanding around specific issues of climate change.”  The show is the culmination of a year long student fellowship program in which each participant pursued both scientific and visual research on particular aspects of our changing climate.

Displaying the work of the student fellows as well as contributing artist Melissa Fleming, the exhibit runs from November 16 to 23. The opening reception is scheduled for Monday, November 16th from 7 to 8:30 PM in the 7th floor lobby of the Cooper Union Foundation Building at 7 East 7th Street, NYC. This event is free and open to the public.

Credit: CUISD

Credit: CUISD