The latest calculations from several science agencies showing Earth obliterated global heat records last year may seem scary. But scientists worry that what’s behind those numbers could be even worse.

The Associated Press asked more than three dozen scientists in interviews and emails what the smashed records mean. Most said they fear acceleration of climate change that is already right at the edge of the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) increase since pre-industrial times that nations had hoped to stay within.

“The heat over the last calendar year was a dramatic message from Mother Nature,” said University of Arizona climate scientist Katharine Jacobs. Scientists say warming air and water is making deadly and costly heat waves, floods, droughts, storms and wildfires more intense and more likely.

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[–] TWeaK@lemm.ee 20 points 8 months ago (1 children)

"May" be worsening? I think it's abundantly clear that it is.

[–] BobVersionFour@kbin.social 11 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

There been a lot of No shit moment for a couple of month now like No shit the climate will get worse No shit trump and the GOP are fascist No shit people are happier when there is less car around where they live No shit incels need mental health help ( all that just from useless "research" and article i've seen today )

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Scientists can't take action based on observational assumptions. They need to run the data, perform the studies, and get the proof, so that they know their assumptions are correct. Only then do they start forming plans to address our problems. They're aware these are "no shit" conclusions, but they still need to perform the evaluations. Every once in awhile our assumptions turn out to be completely incorrect. The cost of trying to solve a problem from an incorrect understanding of it can be very high.

[–] Doombot1@lemmy.one 14 points 8 months ago

“We set a goal and then proceeded to do absolutely nothing fundamentally to actually stay within that goal, and now we’re absolutely shocked that we’ve smashed past our boundaries and are destroying our planet”

Gotta love the mega-corps. We’re fucked, lmao

[–] Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 13 points 8 months ago (2 children)

And from what I understand it takes years for our emissions to react in the environment, so this is the consequences of our polluting from years ago... even if we stop everything today, we will still have a few decades of heating before it can level out.

It may be time to sell my snowblower while it's still worth something.

[–] GluWu@lemm.ee 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Yup. Lag. If we sit of everything, no cars, no fossil fuel power, nothing. Right here right now stopped all emissions from burning fuels, we're still going to be warming for 10-50 years.

If we don't immediately start proactive solutions, sequestering carbon, we're all fucked. Go ahead and buy an EV so your high horse can FSD you into oblivion. At least you'll be the last with AC.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

If we don’t immediately start proactive solutions, sequestering carbon, we’re all fucked. Go ahead and buy an EV...

Rezoning for higher density (in order to promote walkability/bikeability/transit viability, reduce the carbon footprint of construction by eliminating vast quantities of concrete used to build parking, improving energy efficiency of housing units by making more of them share walls, etc.) should be way higher on the list than sequestering carbon.

[–] GluWu@lemm.ee -1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

We need to mass sequester carbon right now if we want our great-great- great grand children to be able to live in the climates we currently know. We need to put more carbon in the gound than any of your "progressive" personal carbon plans claim to do.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

In order to get out of a hole, one must first stop digging themselves deeper. Changing zoning laws is that necessary first step.

Seriously, sane zoning should be the easiest low-hanging fruit to accomplish, since all it requires is the stroke of a pen (as opposed to speculative inventing or spending tons of cash). If we can't even manage to get that done, it bodes really poorly for our ability to execute hail-mary tactics like carbon capture.

[–] GluWu@lemm.ee -1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

There are a hundred low hanging fruit that we humans are just going to let fall and rot. But at this point I think that'll be better than allowing what is "traditional".

[–] guacupado@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago

Yeah I'm not going to even pretend like I'm smarter than these guys but I feel like ever-increasing heat should have been very obviously seen as an exponentially growing problem whereas it seems like everyone treated it as a linear one. After the amount of stuff Year 1 melted, Year 2 is going to be able to melt even more exposed frozen material, and Year 3 more still.

[–] lntl@lemmy.ml 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

lol @ "may be worsening"

[–] menemen@lemmy.world 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The climate is not a trivial thing. It is always a "may".

[–] lntl@lemmy.ml -1 points 8 months ago

Greenhouse warming is simple. Greenhouse emissions are worsening and they are directly related to greenhouse warming.

Using 'may' here is like saying if I put more sand in a bag, it may get heavier.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago

Yes, because when I've been trying to get the world to take action against an existential threat for decades and get treated like a modern Cassandra (or worse), "on edge" is definitely sufficient to describe the scope of my mood. 🙄