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Byron Shire
April 29, 2024

Earth’s hottest year signals urgent need for climate action

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Dangerous warming accelerating. Image MaxPixel.net.

Data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service this week has confirmed that 2023 was the Earth’s hottest year on record by a large margin.

The average global temperatures soared to 1.48°C above the pre-industrial average, surpassing the previous record in 2016 by 0.16°C and exceeding the 1991-2020 average by 0.6°C.

Research Director at the Climate Council Dr Simon Bradshaw said, ‘It’s alarming that 2023 broke heat records by such a considerable margin, with 2024 projected to be even hotter. The Copernicus summary reveals just how much hotter and more dangerous today’s climate is than the relatively cooler and more stable climate in which human societies developed.

‘We’re seeing how much more extreme our climate becomes as we approach the 1.5°C warming threshold. This is why we must limit future warming as much as possible by getting our emissions down fast by rapidly phasing out the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. We can’t keep stoking the fire if we want the room to cool down.’

Seriously hot

2023 saw extreme heat waves in southern Europe, North America and China, as well as devastating wildfires in Canada and Hawaii. Scientists also recorded record-breaking sea surface temperatures and record low sea ice extent around Antarctica in 2023.

Australia was the only continent that did not see large areas register record temperatures, but there were still deadly floods, storms and bushfires across the country.

Major General Peter Dunn, member of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action and former Commissioner for the ACT’s Emergency Services Authority said, ‘The kind of extreme heatwaves we’re likely to experience in the future, not only intensifies any fires that start, making them hotter and more difficult to control, but it also strains the capabilities of our emergency services to their limits.

RFS photo.

‘On the most severe days, the sheer number of fires makes it impossible to combat them all, putting first responders at risk.

‘Not everyone has the luxury of a safe, cool home during these extreme conditions. Communities must be prepared with facilities like cool refuges and accessible community halls, ensuring everyone’s safety during extreme heat and in preparation for the fire season.

‘The impact of climate change on our communities is immediate and devastating,’ said Major General Dunn. ‘The urgency to stop relying on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, which only worsen this crisis, has never been greater. The time has come for Australia to decisively move away from these harmful pollutants.’


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22 COMMENTS

    • Hmmmm. I believe this series is flawed by their comparison between a standard American diet (full of seed oils, sugar and gluten) and a plant based diet only. They’re failure to include a more broad cross-section of dietary choices (balanced, omnivorous diet and/or carnivore/ketogenic ways of eating) make the intention of the series very clear. In regards to the environmental argument that appears to ‘scapegoat’ animal agriculture, well, every point of contention was debunked in the book, written by Diana Rodgers, called Sacred Cow. I recommend the book over the documentary as it’s much easier to digest the data.

      • The Amazon Rain Forest produces 40,000,000 tons of methane per year. The bits that have been turned into grazing land produce far less, and they produce basically none once you eat the cows. It’s clear what should be done to save the planet.

        • I’m unclear on your perspective here, but I just wanted to mention that methane is a red herring. It’s not the issue. There is a great blog post explaining this in detail. Google “sacred cow farts” and it’s the top link.

          • I know cows can fart. That’s the joke. May I suggest looking at climateataglance.org to cure you from your climate fallacies.

  1. Heavy snow and wind causes chaos across Europe and US – ABC News
    Japan blasted with record snowfalls, frigid temperatures – THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
    Moscow Shatters Daily Record Snowfall – MSN
    Snowfall in California breaks 40-year record – USA TODAY
    China: North-eastern city sees highest snowfall in 116 years – BBC
    Yosemite national park shut indefinitely after breaking 54-year daily snow record – The Guardian
    Wintry blast in Europe has brought record snow and bitter cold – Washington Post
    Massive snowfall and unusually freezing temperatures in Norway – Science Norway
    2022-2023 Winter Season (Record Snow and Cold) – National Weather Service
    The Ski Season That Just Won’t Quit – The New York Times
    Snowpocalypse Now: Anchorage Smashes Snowfall Records – SciTechDaily
    12 Resorts That Exceeded Previous Snowfall Records – Ski Mag
    Europe’s Historic Winter 2023: Record Snow and Extreme Cold – BNN Breaking

    • Christian, a newsflash for you, it IS winter across the Northern Hemisphere and they do receive snow.
      Your picking out those winter weather events, shows that you can use a computer to dial up information.
      Congrats on that.

      But why is this all so across the Northern Hemisphere?
      No doubt you could have used your computer and also dialed up the ‘Arctic Oscillation’ for some helpful scientific explanation.
      No doubt you could have used your computer and also dialed up Deutsche Welle;
      ‘How global warming also brings colder weather’
      Jeannette Cwienk 2/11/2021
      Climate deniers are using a spell of unusually cold weather in Europe to incorrectly argue that CO2 emissions are not warming the planet.’,
      for some additional helpful scientific explanation.

      Christian, you ain’t improving.
      Trying another stunt putting on your Climate Change Denier -in-Chief hat, Lol.

  2. Joachim, it smarts when the boot is on the other foot doesn’t it. We have had the lefty green warmest day ever, warmest month ever, warmest year ever crammed down our throats by the likes of your flawed organisations for years. Good to see some contrary evidence presented by someone whom I suggest may not be a righty denier. Same applies to summer Joachim, one can always surprisingly find high temperatures somewhere in the world, funny that, summer get’s hot. Please explain why all of the above examples of abnormally low temperatures do not co-operate with your alarmist green rhetoric. Global warming brings colder weather?, does hotter weather bring colder weather?. Now come on, who are you trying to fool here?, maybe the warming disciples will buy it, however any thinking reasonable person will rightly dismiss this garbage as they should.

  3. Greggy, ” Please explain why all of the above examples of abnormally low temperatures do not co-operate with your alarmist green rhetoric. Global warming brings colder weather?” , Greggy old son, do take the tip that I gave Christian further up the page and dial up, Deutsche Welle; ‘How global warming also brings colder weather’
    Jeannette Cwienk 2/11/2021
    Climate deniers are using a spell of unusually cold weather in Europe to incorrectly argue that CO2 emissions are not warming the planet.’
    Greggy a bit of science reading will learn you up.

    Happy to help, again.

    • I tried to tell you “heat causes more evaporation, evaporation causes more clouds, more clouds reflect more sunlight back into space, a lack of sunlight makes it colder”, but they wouldn’t let me, so you’ll never know we agreed for once.

  4. Joachy pal, guru of all green, this may come as a huge shock to you however you are wrong. Willie Soon has debunked many times your one eyed green tripe.

    • OMFG is that the best you can do?
      Counter actual observations & real science by wheeling out a corrupt scientific joke like him?

    • And under examination by every credible scientist in the field, “his work” & “his conclusions” were rubbished & easily disproved.
      Lesson for you dear greggy: No amount of fossil fuels money actually changes the facts. It just gives loudmouths a platform.

  5. Don’t bother replying if your going to try to discredit Willie, you know he is right guru of everything green.

  6. Joachy, you are treated with the contempt you deserve. Tell your story walking lefty, no one cares for your tripe.

  7. N. See, try as you may to discredit Willie Soon, normal people know he is correct. Can you endorse the untruths of Al Gore over the decades, Michael Mann’s lying hockey stick, the demented Tim Flannery. Willie Soon freely admits he was at one stage funded by oil interests, he has never tried to hide that fact. Now, funding for the leftist alarmist scientists, where does that come from?, IPCC?, WEF, Governments?, wind and solar company’s?, EV manufacturers?. You sit there and try to claim the high ground, what a hypocrite. The funding of the skeptical side is miniscule compared to the alarmist side, however the quality of the outcomes are what counts in the big picture. Fortunately you can not claim a victory, science can not…

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