2020 One of the Hottest Years on Record?
Most of us realize that 2020 is one dumpster fire of a year. But, with only a few weeks left to go, it’s still pounding on humanity like a bully looking for your lunch money. And it has potential as the hottest year on record.
Whether you believe in man-made global warming or not, the evidence is quite clear. Temperatures across the planet are increasing.
And if you believe in science, there’s a lot of things going on that are only going to contribute to the increase.
I usually try not to push the whole climate change thing and speak more from a practical perspective. But after the California wildfires, hurricanes, freak tornadoes, and other events, it’s hard to deny the evidence.
So, forgive me if you find this post offensive. First and foremost, I follow the data. And what the numbers show is, indeed, cause for alarm.
Hot Months Bring Hottest Year
According to Climate.gov, a vast portion of the months in 2020 have resulted in higher temperatures than the norm. In fact, most months in 2020 scored within the top 3 for hottest on record.
And this is considering how much of the planet was under lock-down during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I remember looking across Denver and realizing how pretty the scenery actually is without traffic smogging up the skyline.
We Are a Reactive Species
One of the biggest issues humanity has is how it reacts to certain events. We are a reactive species, meaning we won’t put in the effort until it directly affects us.
Just look at the current state of the world. Many of us deny the coronavirus is a threat until hospitalization occurs.
Many humans don’t put in the effort for health and fitness until their hearts stop beating. And many of us don’t prevent actions that have dire consequences because we just don’t believe it will happen.
Until it does.
Have you heard the adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure?” It means that spending a few moments now to prevent something is far more worthwhile than trying to treat a problem after it occurred.
Seat belts have saved more lives than not. It’s more difficult to get lung cancer if you don’t smoke cigarettes. Not putting your hand in a fire means not having to go to the emergency room.
But these are all things we can immediately process and see. Climate is a much different animal as it’s a slow burn.
Much like boiling a toad alive in a pot of water; we’re simply getting the water hotter over a gradual period of time.
We Like Money
One of the biggest issues with climate change is that it’s not profitable to those in power. Mostly because the majority of people in power have been so since the 1980s and have a certain mindset about what makes them money.
Usually, this is in the form of oil industries and lobbyists. It’s also one of the biggest reasons why I’m so anti-oil…aside from it still being used in a form of archaic technology.
If we truly want to prevent the hottest year on record, we need to figure out a way to do so where people make a lot of money.
Though, it is a bit late for the immediate future.
Is it Too Late?
In reality, this planet has seen a wide variety of catastrophes. And one thing is perfectly clear: it will survive the hottest year on record.
Even after being pummeled by meteors for the past 4 billion years, surviving several ice ages, and incredible seismic events, Earth will continue to rotate.
The question is, will humanity be around in the meantime? Like many of Earth’s past inhabitants, it could be more of a question of time before another extinction event occurs.
This time, a species has the technology to prevent its own demise. But unless it’s immediately profitable, it won’t gain as much attention.
Michael has been interested in the practicality of living green for quite some time. He works closely with GreenGeeks Web Hosting as the Content Marketing Team Lead and an author of various articles.
