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It has never been so warm on earth as September! According to measurements by the US climate agency NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the previous month was the warmest since records began in 1880.
The average temperature over land and ocean surfaces was 0.97 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average of 15 degrees, NOAA announced Wednesday (local time). Thus, September 2020 exceeded the previous record holders by 0.02 degrees Celsius in the same months of 2015 and 2016.
According to NOAA, it was particularly hot in Europe, Asia and South America. The Copernicus European Climate Change Service had previously announced that, according to its calculations, last month was the warmest September in the world since records began in 1979.
Greta Thunberg appeals to the EU
Before the start of the EU summit in Brussels, the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (17) called on the EU heads of state and government to do everything possible in the fight against climate change. “Of course, nothing that has been proposed or promoted is in line with science, but we still ask you to do your best,” Thunberg said in an interview with the AFP news agency on Wednesday.
Thunberg reminded politicians of his promises from the Paris climate accord in 2015. He called for binding, annual climate targets to be set and not just those that apply to 2030 or 2050. Heads of state and government must agree on their targets to reduce climate change. CO2 emissions by 2030 by the end of this year. The EU Commission had proposed a 55 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to 1990 values. However, the EU Parliament criticized this plan as not being too ambitious.
Warn climate protection organizations
On Wednesday, eleven member states, including France, Spain and the Netherlands, backed cuts of at least 55 percent by 2030. However, many Eastern European countries, notably Poland, which is heavily reliant on coal, they doubt.
Climate protection organizations warn that reducing CO2 emissions in the EU by 55 or even 60 percent will not be enough to keep global warming below the upper limit of two degrees Celsius agreed in the Treaty of Paris.
The EU heads of state and government will address climate policy and the reduction of CO2 emissions at their summit on Thursday. A decision should not be made until the December summit. (SDA)
