Monday, September 26, 2022

a record-breaking summer

This northern summer has broken many records in absolute temperatures and drought severity, including the UK's very first temperatures above 40 C. There is no doubt that this is both a symptom of climate change and a portent of even more extreme weather conditions to come. A more interesting spin, however, is the climate justice one. Most of the excess CO2 so far has been emitted in the northern hemisphere, while most of the impacts so far have been suffered by the global south. This summer has marked a significant turning point insofar as emission chickens from the north are coming home to roost. I've discussed this angle in my latest feature which is out now:

Global north feels the heat

Current Biology Volume 32, Issue 18, 26 September 2022, Pages R935-R937

FREE access to full text and PDF download

NB: as the 2022 features move into the open archives, I will add them to this thread on Mastodon.

Heatwaves and droughts have affected nature and residents across Europe in the summer of 2022. The photo shows trees suffering from the drought in Ravilloles, France, at the end of July. (Photo: CDLTim 2/Wikicommons (CC BY-SA 4.0).)

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