Climate experts raise concerns the world average temperature saw its third record high in a week.
US climate scientists raised the alarm on the 17.23 degrees heat recorded on Thursday, higher than 17.01 and 17.18 degrees previously noted. Experts blame the rise in temperatures to El Niño and climate change caused by humans, according to the BBC.
El Niño is a climatic phenomenon that warms the tropical Pacific Ocean and sends heat into the atmosphere.
The tool Climate Reanalyzer calculates the average global temperature using computer modeling and surface, aerial, and satellite observations. These data are an essential gauge of temperature changes, though they are considered unofficial.
A senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial College London, Friederike Otto, voiced worry over the ongoing breaking of world temperature records. She called the record-breaking heat "a wake-up call" for oil and gas advocates who wanted to increase the production of fossil fuels. Studies show that the burning of these dirty energy source causes harm to the environment.
Until this week, the global average temperature record has stood since August 2016.
UN Calls for Adoption of Clean Energy
Experts warn that many societies must prepare to adapt to the escalating heat and its profound impacts on people and the environment, underscoring that urgent support is needed to assist developing countries in attracting substantial investments for their transition to clean energy.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates these nations need $1.7 trillion in renewable energy investments annually. In 2022, they only attracted foreign direct investment of $544 billion in renewable energy.
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UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan stressed the critical need for a significant increase in sustainable energy investments in developing nations to achieve global climate goals by 2030, according to the agency's website. To address this, the World Investment Report 2023 proposes a compact outlining priority actions, such as financing mechanisms and investment policies that can facilitate investments in sustainable energy systems.
US Pushes for Carbon Capture Technology
In a related development, the US Congress recently allocated substantial subsidies to promote the expansion of carbon capture technology. This move aims to compel most fossil fuel-burning plants to implement carbon capture measures if new Environmental Protection Agency rules are enforced, as per a reprot from CBS News.
Carbon capture technology involves capturing CO2 emissions with chemicals and storing them underground, thus preventing their release into the atmosphere. Technical problems and expensive expenses have hindered its real-world application.
The National Carbon Capture Center, a research center linked with an Alabama power plant, has been investigating carbon capture technology for over a decade. According to center director John Northington, the technique has a 95% catch rate.
Critics, however, argue carbon capture and storage should come at a more affordable cost than renewable energy initiatives. MIT Professor Charles Harvey said that the technology is not financially feasible as it is more expensive than constructing clean energy infrastructures.
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