CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — 2024 marked the hottest year on record for the globe, the United States, and Charlotte.
It was also the first time that our globe has had a year that has surpassed the 2015 Paris climate agreement to keep our Earth’s temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.52 degrees Fahrenheit) or below. This does not necessarily breach the 2015 agreement, as it is more based on a multi-year average, but it is certainly not a good sign.
1.5 degrees Celsius may not seem like a lot, but as Meteorologist Shel Winkley from Climate Central explains, that is a big number when looking at the Earth as a whole.
“Think about when your body temperature goes up 1 or 2 degrees. You don’t feel well and that is what the planet is going through, it doesn’t feel well. We have what is typical weather; heatwaves, floods, hurricanes, and then they are becoming these unnatural disasters.”
The years 2015-2024 now hold all of the top 10 hottest years for our Earth.
2024 was also the hottest year on record for the United States as well. When looking at the top 10 hottest years for the United States, it includes years from 1998-2024.
Looking at 2024 for a more local scale. 2024 was also the hottest year on record for Charlotte.
Continued carbon emissions and El Nino are the biggest reason for the record warmth last year.
The biggest impacts of a warming climate include more billion-dollar disasters like hurricanes, severe storms, and wildfires. More impacts include human-related illnesses and a loss of ecosystems, like coral reefs and tree growth alterations from forest fires.
We have seen improvement from major corporations, which are switching to more renewable resources. Meteorologist Shel Winkley from Climate Central adds it takes everyone.
“It can start with one, just learning and then having the conversations with your family, with your friends, with your co-workers. It could be you planting a garden in your yard, adding more greenspace, or native greenspace to your yard, or your neighborhood. Yes, it is just your yard, but then your neighbor may see that and say, hey I like that.”
Other ways you can help include, but are not limited to increasing the amount of recycling you do at home, saving energy at your house, and possibly switching to an electric vehicle.
If you are a homeowner, switching to solar energy may also be a good way for you and your family to help curve our warming climate.
