What does it mean?
The earth’s temperature has been gradually increasing since the 19th century but the trend has since accelerated since the year 2000.
May 2020 was recorded to be about 1.5° C hotter than the average month recorded on earth since 1880.
From February to April 2020, NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that these months were the second warmest of their kind ever recorded. (2016 was the year with the hottest temperature for February, March and April).
As for January and May 2020, these months’ temperature about tied with their 2016 counterparts.
Why should we care?
Scientists at NOAA claimed that 2020 will end up being the hottest year ever recorded.
2019 is currently the second-hottest year ever recorded with July 2019 being the warmest month ever recorded on Earth.
According to NOAA, the earth’s surface temperature for that year was around 0.95° C warmer than the 20th-century average, citing reasons such an increase in sea level, a decrease in the arctic ice and a number of weather-related disasters such as storms and floods and drought.
Based on scientific findings, the threat of continuous global warming will lead to extreme weather events at a higher frequency and duration, unlike any before.
