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Earth recently experienced its hottest day on record-- and then smashed the record a day later.
As more fossil fuels emit more greenhouse gases into the air, it is no secret that the world has been heating up because to human activity. 2023, greatly in part due to the weather phenomenon known as El Niño, was Earth's hottest year on record, and the hottest day on record was beat on July 6, 2023, when the global average temperature reached 17.08 degrees Celsius (62.74 degrees Fahrenheit). In 2024, a new record was set when the global average temperature reached 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday, July 21. When it comes to temperatures, such minuscule differences are common. However, that record was then destroyed a day later, when the average temperature reached 17.15 degrees Celsius (62.87 degrees Fahrenheit), marking the hottest day on Earth since records began in 1940.
Because of the larger amount of land in the northern hemisphere, global average temperatures are normally hotter when it is summer for the northern hemisphere (winter for the southern hemisphere). Land warms and cools faster than water does, meaning that an area with more land will heat faster than an area with more water. Climate change is slowly warming the Earth as humans burn more fossil fuels and produce more greenhouse gases, and that is also causing more natural disasters. Hurricanes, severe storms, droughts, wildfires, and other devastating disasters are becoming more common because of the changes in temperature, and scientists have created a system of numerous tipping points to summarize one key thing: when will human-inflicted damage to the Earth become irreversible?
Some of the tipping points of the Earth's climate include:
Greenland ice sheet disintegration-- would cause sea level rise of over 20 ft
Permafrost loss-- would cause a massive rise in greenhouse gas emissions because of the collapse of buried peatlands
A shift in boreal forests-- would cause forests nearer to the equator to die due to extreme heat, causing the forests to grow into the tundra
The melting of Arctic sea ice-- would cause extreme habitat loss for animals like polar bears and lead to a reduction in ice levels, speeding up the albedo effect
The disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet-- would cause sea level rise of over 10 ft
The death of the Amazon Rainforest-- hotter conditions would kill the thick forest and turn it into open savannah
The shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which is a system of currents that circulates water throughout the Atlantic-- would disrupt the entire ocean ecosystem because of more freshwater from melting ice
Even if one of these tipping points is crossed, it could cause a large increase in global temperatures, which would then spark a chain reaction. That chain reaction could cause other tipping points to be crossed, which would end in a massive disaster for the environment and humans as we know it.
The world is warming more every day, and if humans do not take extreme action within the next decade, Earth could be at risk of an environmental collapse due to the tipping points above.
Want to help protect the Earth? Even if it's something as big is starting an eco-friendly business or something as small as recycling your aluminum cans, you can make a difference. Check out this article to help save our oceans. Also, check out this article on YNH Travel talking about Denmark's approach to the large amounts of greenhouse gases that livestock release. Interested in nature? Go no further than YNH Travel's latest article in Earth, which details exactly which United States National Parks to visit before they drastically change by 2030.
Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Since honeybees have hook-shaped hands, they can hold hands-- and they tend to do it while sleeping.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): A wise man ought to realize that health is his most valuable possession. (Hippocrates)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Sanctimonious (adj)- Someone described as sanctimonious behaves as though they are morally superior to others. Language or behavior that suggests the same kind of moral superiority can also be described as sanctimonious.
In a Sentence: While the subject matter was interesting, I found the presenter’s sanctimonious tone rather distracting.
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