Fighting Against Skepticism

Challenges Demand Action, Not Defeatism

Temperature changes to date have been most pronounced in northern latitudes and over land masses. The image uses longer term averages of at least a decade to smooth out climate variability due to factors such as El Niño. The map is improved from the highest quality rendering that NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio generates, with horizontal and vertical lines removed and with a more legible projection of Kavraiskiy VII. Grey areas in the image have insufficient data for rendering. For a version without Fahrenheit, see File:Change in Average Temperature.svg

In many ways, the year is ending as it began. With a sense of dread, despite the brief flashes of hope. We enter 2023 under the threat of climate doom, with floods and extreme weather tormenting much of the world, with droughts and blizzards and wildfires all made worse by our inaction on climate. With our failure to admit that the dire nature of the threats requires bold action.

There will be no bold action, as The Guardian points out. Scientists in September announced we likely have already passed “five “disastrous” tipping points,” meaning we may have little chance to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030  — which is imperative if we are “to have an even chance of keeping to the 1.5C limit” scientists say is the point of no return.