As summer persists many realize that the temperatures are hotter than ever as a result of global warming, but there is hope for a change
Record-breaking highs, sweltering afternoons and unforeseen heat waves have been the ongoing pattern for this summer of 2023. As the season comes to an end, millions of people worldwide recount that this summer in particular is unlike anything they have experienced in any year prior to this. Thousands of netizens share similar accounts of trees wilting, lakes drying up and cars overheating in the wake of this summer. This has led many to ask the unavoidable question, “What is the cause of this?” Well, scientists have come to the conclusion that the cause of all of these daunting issues is the same old enemy of the earth that has been plaguing us for so long: global warming.
The rapid heating of the earth is not a new concept; many by now know well about the effects of global warming on our earth’s ozone layer. What many seem to forget, however, is how devastating the consequences of this phenomenon can really be. Scientists at the European Copernicus Climate Change institution have found that July of this summer alone has yielded some of the hottest temperatures in 120,000 years. Analysis in the latest monthly bulletin of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) confirmed that the global surface air temperature for July 2023 was the highest recorded for any month in the ERA5 dataset, which dates back to 1940. Compared to the 1850-1900 average, July was around 1.5°C warmer. With this in mind, it is no wonder that individuals around the world are worried not only for the state of their respective homes and countries but for the sake of the world as a whole. Studies have found that countries worldwide are experiencing mass changes as a result of global warming and summer temperatures like these are only exacerbating these changes. As a result of this worldwide issue, countries are continually innovating and creating ways to offset these problems. For instance, The Biden Administration is working hard to reduce and control the amount of pollution allowed from power plants, multiple countries in the European Union (EU) are working towards reaching net zero emissions by 2050 and countries such as Saudi Arabia are building infrastructure that better adapts to the environment and further expands towards goals of reducing the effects of climate change. All of this is being done to stop the threat of global warming, but even with all of these changes, the summers seem to be only increasing in heat. This has led many to doubt the impact of these changes. With all of this work being done to stop climate change, the heat is visibly rising, so what more can be done? The simple answer to this question is that we are the only ones who can save our summers.
Even with all of these changes being made we can't solely rely on countries and organizations to incite changes for the climate. Each of us must individually work to lower our carbon footprint to better aid in the preservation of our planet. The truth is that despite the daunting nature of climate change and the threat it poses to our collective future, many are simply apathetic towards working against climate change. Rather than actively fighting against climate change, 30% of Americans cited climate change as their motivation towards moving locations, people still continue to drive carbon-emitting vehicles worldwide and wealthy individuals refuse to stop their usage of private jets and other high carbon-emitting vehicles. The Harvard Business Review finds that the reason for such apathetic behavior is that most individuals treat climate change as an abstract concept, which does not motivate people to act as forcefully as specific ones do. In other words, because climate change seems far away and people cannot visually see it or physically touch it, many do not feel the need to act against it. This has been a big issue for many years and the reason why many organizations have been incapable of rallying more individuals against climate change.
Nevertheless, this may begin to slowly change. Now that our summers are getting hotter and hotter, people have no choice but to acknowledge the effects of climate change on our world as well as our lives. We can no longer ignore the progressive heating of the sun day by day and it may be summers like these that unite us against our common enemy. Now that the heat is palpable and the effects of global warming are visible, we may finally be able to individually work to stop climate change and make greater differences as a collective group. If we can work together and ease the effects of global warming on our climate we may finally be able to save our summers.