Picture
2019: it has been confirmed that the Northern hemisphere had the hottest summer (June to August) on record. It was 2nd hottest at global level. The last five June-August periods are the five hottest on record.
Scorching temperatures around the world tied August 2019 as the second-hottest August on record and also impacted Arctic sea ice coverage, shrinking it to the second smallest for the month on record, according to US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
#ClimateAction #climatechange #globalwarming https://bit.ly/2lWItxe
______________
ARCTIC WARMING REPORT (Released December, 2018)
 
Scientists know the Arctic is getting warmer. But just how warm? A new report from NOAA says the polar area is going through a multi-year stretch of unparalleled warmth "unlike any period on record." Reductions in sea ice and losses in wildlife populations there are the result of climate change caused by humans, the peer-reviewed report says. And the warming of the Arctic affects a lot more than the ice caps. The report says less sea ice has changed the weather in the US and Europe because ice influences ocean currents and the jet stream. 
_______________

GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS  On a global scale, the key greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are:
  • Carbon dioxide (CO2): Fossil fuel use is the primary source of CO2.  CO2 can also be emitted from direct human-induced impacts on forestry and other land use, such as through deforestation, land clearing for agriculture, and degradation of soils. Likewise, land can also remove CO2 from the atmosphere through reforestation, improvement of soils, and other activities.
  • Methane (CH4): Agricultural activities, waste management, energy use, and biomass burning all contribute to CH4 emissions.
  • Nitrous oxide (N2O): Agricultural activities, such as fertilizer use, are the primary source of N2O emissions. Fossil fuel combustion also generates N2O.
  • Fluorinated gases (F-gases): Industrial processes, refrigeration, and the use of a variety of consumer products contribute to emissions of F-gases, which include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
Source: Source: IPCC (2014) based on global emissions from 2010. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  via the Environmental Protection Agency U.S.A. January 2017
______________

THE PARIS AGREEMENT   Note: Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. has formally taken the steps to complete its withdrawal from the Agreement effective November 2020, ironically after national elections. It appears the administration's intent is to increase fossil fuel exploration, mining & use; which would push U.S. emissions over the limits agreed upon for the health & safety of humankind.

The aim of the Paris Agreement  is described in Article 2, "enhancing the implementation" of the UNFCCC through: "
     (a) Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above
pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change;
     (b) Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production;
     (c) Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions & climate-resilient development."
​Countries furthermore aim to reach "global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible". The agreement has been described as an incentive for and driver of fossil fuel divestment. 
Note  Although Trump has formally withdrawn the U.S. from the Agreement, many American cities and states pledged to move forward.​