A study released yesterday found that 2016 was the hottest year in history, and that temperatures will only continue to climb as time passes.
The report, prepared by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), noted that temperatures increased steadily worldwide last year, reaching 1.1°C above the pre-industrial era. According to the study, the Arctic saw higher temperature fluctuations than any other region in the world. The Arctic’s temperature spikes are believed to have led to Canada’s relatively temperate winter months last year.
The report’s preliminary data for 2017 also shows that the earth is only getting warmer.
The WMO has identified manmade carbon emissions as the main driving factor behind the significant increase in global temperatures.
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“With levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere consistently breaking new records, the influence of human activities on the climate system has become more and more evident,” WMO secretary general Petteri Taalas said in a statement.
Carbon dioxide in the air surged to 400 parts per million in 2016 – a 40% increase since 1880 (the inaugural year of NASA’s GISS temperature record). The study said that those levels are unlikely to fall “for many generations to come.”
“Carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years,” Claire Nullis, a spokesperson for WMO, told CBC. “It stays in the oceans even longer. So this really does underline the imperative need that if we want to act on climate change, if we want to keep temperature increases to a manageable level, we really have no time to waste.”
It is believed that the high temperatures last year were a catalyst to the wildfires that ravaged Fort McMurray from May until July last year. The area experienced its driest recorded winter and spring in 2016 and saw 33°C temperatures in early May – conditions perfect to induce a wildfire, the report said.
The wildfire caused $3.58 billion worth of insured damage.
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