Producing a top wind gust of 140-mph and generating waves over 40 feet high, the storm toppled trees and downed power lines. Approximately 90% of the island chain lost power. Crediting advanced preparations, local officials say no fatalities or serious injuries have been reported.
Gonzalo was the second tropical system to hit Bermuda is less than a week. Tropical Storm Fay slammed the popular vacation spot just last Sunday with strong winds and heavy rain. The last time Bermuda was hit twice in one week was when Tropical Storm Emily and Hurricane Floyd both moved over the archipelago in early September 1981.
Hurricane Gonzalo makes landfall in Bermuda. Credit: PTZ_TV
A one-day climate summit was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City yesterday ahead of the 69th General Assembly. Convened by Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General and participant in Sunday’s Climate March, it drew more than one hundred heads of state from around the world to discuss ways to mitigate climate change.
Speeches by dozens of dignitaries covered topics ranging from scientific findings to current and planned climate actions. After listing a variety of extreme weather events that have impacted the US recently, President Obama declared, “The climate is changing faster than our efforts to address it.” He went on to say, “There should be no question that the United States of America is stepping up to the plate. We recognize our role in creating this problem; we embrace our responsibility to combat it.” He pointed out his administration’s new E.P.A. regulation to cut carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants, the main source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US.
President Obama also urged other countries to take action, saying, “We can only succeed in combating climate change if we are joined in this effort by every nation, developed and developing alike. Nobody gets a pass.” He specifically called on China to join the US in leading this effort. The US and China are world’s two largest economies and largest carbon polluters.
The current international goal is to limit global warming to 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels. Scientists say that if greenhouse gas emissions are not quickly and significantly reduced, the planet’s atmosphere could warm beyond that tipping point very soon. As the IPCC’s report on theImpacts and Vulnerabilities of Climate Change points out, a warmer world means more extreme weather events like droughts and floods, higher amounts of sea level rise, a decrease in the availability of fresh water, and even food shortages around the world.
While a number of encouraging pledges were made at yesterday’s summit by a wide variety of countries, the real test will come next year at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris. The objective there will be a legally binding global agreement that reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
US President Barack Obama addresses the UN Climate Summit in NYC. Image Credit: AP Photo/R. Drew.
Looking back at the summer of 2014, temperatures across most of the eastern United States were relatively moderate. Globally, however, it was a record warm season.
According to a recent report from NOAA, the meteorological summer of 2014 (June, July and August) was the warmest summer ever recorded on this planet. Earth’s combined average temperature for the season – over both land and sea surfaces – was 62.78°F. That is 1.28°F above the 20th century average. The previous record was set in 1998.
Rising ocean temperatures, according to NOAA, helped fuel the season’s record warmth. Between June and August, the global ocean surface temperature was the highest ever recorded for the three month period at 1.13°F above average.
While the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans are warming overall, this summer’s temperature anomalies (both above and below average) highlight the fact that climate change is a complex global phenomenon that involves much more than what is happening in our own backyards.
Year to date, according to the report, 2014 is currently the Earth’s third warmest year on record. Global temperature records date back to 1880.
August was fairly seasonable in New York City this year. For the Earth as a whole, however, the average temperature soared to a record high yet again.
According to a report released this week by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, August 2014 was the warmest August ever recorded for the entire planet. Earth’s combined average temperature for the month – over both land and sea surfaces – was 61.45°F. That is 1.35°F above the 20th century average. August 2014 also marked the 354th consecutive month that our global temperature was above its long-term norm.
Rising ocean temperatures, according to NOAA, helped fuel this record warmth. In fact, the August global sea surface temperature was 1.17°F above its long-term average of 61.4°F. That is the highest for any August on record and the highest departure from average for any month. The previous all-time record high was set just two months ago in June 2014.
Year to date, 2014 is currently the Earth’s third warmest year on record. Global temperature records date back to 1880.
This past July was fairly mild in the eastern United States, including here in New York City. For the western states and much of the rest of world, however, it was hotter than normal. In fact, the average temperature for the Earth as a whole soared into the record books yet again.
According to a report released this week by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, July 2014 was the fourth warmest July ever recorded for the entire planet. Earth’s combined average temperature for the month – over both land and sea surfaces – was 61.55°F. That is 1.15°F above the 20th century average. July 2014 also marked the 353rd consecutive month that our global temperature was above its long-term norm.
While above average heat dominated most of the planet this July, the Scandinavian countries were particularly warm. With a monthly temperature 7.7°F above normal, Norway marked not only its warmest July on record, but also its all-time highest monthly temperature for any month. In the western U.S., several states posted a July temperature in their top ten warmest.
While the Earth’s atmosphere is warming overall, July’s temperature anomalies (both above and below average) highlight the fact that climate change is a complex global phenomenon that involves much more than what is happening in our own backyards.
Year to date, according to the report, 2014 is currently tied with 2002 as the Earth’s third warmest year on record. Global temperature records date back to 1880.
This past June ranked as the 33rd warmest for the United States. The average temperature for the Earth as a whole, however, soared to a record high for a second straight month.
According to a report released on Monday by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, June 2014 was the warmest June ever recorded for the entire planet. Earth’s combined average temperature for the month – over both land and sea surfaces – was 61.2°F. That is 1.3°F above the 20th century average. June 2014 also marked the 352nd consecutive month that our global temperature was above its long-term norm.
Rising ocean temperatures, according to NOAA, helped fuel this record warmth. In fact, the June global sea surface temperature was 1.15°F above its long-term average of 61.5°F. That is the highest for any June on record and the highest departure from average for any month. Large parts of both the Pacific and Indian Oceans either hit record-high temperatures or posted readings that were significantly above normal.
The report also noted that, year to date, 2014 is currently tied with 2002 as the Earth’s third warmest year on record. Global temperature records date back to 1880.
This past May was fairly warm across most of the United States, including here in New York City. The average temperature for the Earth as a whole, however, soared into the record books.
According to a report released on Monday by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, May 2014 was the warmest May ever recorded for the entire planet. Earth’s combined average temperature for the month – over both land and sea surfaces – was 59.93°F. That is 1.33°F above the 20th century average. May 2014 also marked the 351st consecutive month that our global temperature was above its long-term norm.
The report also noted that four of the five warmest Mays on record have occurred in the past five years: 2010 (second warmest), 2012 (third warmest), 2013 (fifth warmest), and 2014 (warmest); 1998 holds fourth place. Additionally, it highlighted the fact that this past meteorological spring (March, April, and May) was the planet’s second warmest on record. For the same period, only 2010 was warmer.
Year to date, 2014 is currently ranked as the Earth’s fifth warmest year on record. Global temperature records date back to 1880.
Image Credit: NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center
Written by 235 scientists from 58 countries, the report finds that quick and dramatic action needs to be taken to avoid a warming increase of 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels – a goal set by international agreement. Driven by population and consumption growth, as stated in the report, “Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have increased from 27 to 49 gigatonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent per year (+80%) between 1970 and 2010; GHG emissions during the last decade of this period were the highest in human history.” While the burning of fossil fuels accounts for the majority of these emissions, deforestation and agriculture also play a key role.
To meet the 2°C target, according to this 2007 Nobel Prize winning group, carbon-dioxide emissions need to be cut by 40%-70% by 2050. And, by 2100, they need to be almost zero. The report emphasizes that delaying mitigation will only increase the cost of dealing with climate change later – both economically and socially.
In writing this tome, experts analyzed over one thousand potential solution scenarios. While the report does not recommend any one particular policy approach for lowering emissions, it emphasizes that zero-carbon energy sources, like solar, wind, and even nuclear power need to triple by 2050. It also stresses utilizing carbon capture technology, reforestation, and the implementation of more energy efficient building codes.
According to the report, “Without additional efforts to reduce GHG emissions beyond those in place today … global mean surface temperature increases in 2100 from 3.7°C to 4.8°C (7°F-9°F) compared to pre-industrial levels.” This amount of warming could have catastrophic consequences on human civilization, as pointed out in the IPCC’s Working Group II report on impacts and vulnerabilities released two weeks ago.
This coming autumn, the IPCC will publish an official synthesis of the reports from its three working groups. It will be used as a guide for the policy makers at the next Global Climate Summit scheduled for December 2015 in Paris. Any treaty agreed to there is supposed to take effect in 2020.
The news, recently, has been filled with articles about the latest report from the IPCC. But what, you may ask, is the IPCC?
Formed by the United Nations in 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assesses our planet’s changing climate and its impacts on society. It consists of three working groups that publish massive in-depth reports every six to seven years. Working Group I examines the physical science of climate change. Working Group II considers the impacts to and vulnerability of human and natural systems facing climate change. It also assesses the potential for adaptation. Working Group III deals with mitigation. When put together, they form the scientific basis for all U.N. negotiations on global climate treaties.
Authored by hundreds of scientists from around the world, the IPCC reports summarize the latest peer-reviewed science on climate change. Before they are published, the wording of the reports must be approved by delegations from participating national governments – usually well over one hundred.
The IPCC is considered the global authority on the subject of climate change. In 2007, along with former US Vice-President, Al Gore, the group was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for calling attention to the climate crisis.
Authored by more than 300 scientists from 70 countries, the report states, “In recent decades, changes in climate have caused impacts on natural and human systems on all continents and across the oceans.” If left unchecked, according to this 2007 Nobel Prize winning group, the risks will only increase.
Of the many hazards listed in the massive report, one of the most significant involves global food production. Crop yields – especially wheat and corn – are forecast to decrease 2% per decade through 2100 while demand is expected to grow by 14% per decade through 2050. Renewable freshwater supplies are also likely to become stressed as weather patterns shift and dry areas become even drier. According to the report, “Each degree of warming is projected to decrease renewable water resources by at least 20% for an additional 7% of the global population.”
Another dire finding in the report concerns coastal communities around the globe. It states, “Due to sea-level rise throughout the 21st century and beyond, coastal systems and low-lying areas will increasingly experience adverse impacts such as submergence, coastal flooding and coastal erosion.”
Some of the other potential vulnerabilities mentioned in the report include political instability, economic losses, and threats to human health.
To minimize these grim possibilities, the IPCC emphasizes that, “Mitigation is considered essential for managing the risks of climate change.” If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, we can expect an additional 6-7°F increase in global temperature by 2100. “Large magnitudes of warming increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive and challenging impacts,” according to the report. The current international goal is to keep the temperature increase below 2°C (3.6°F).
The third part of this report, the mitigation section, is due out later this month.
Below is a short video summary of the IPCC Working Group II report ….
