Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
Global sea temperatures were the hottest on record in 2023. Then came 2024. Every day this year has shattered previous records, causing mass coral bleaching and disrupting wildlife. Many scientists think the El Niño weather phenomenon is the main culprit; it changes normal tradewind patterns leading to an increase in the surface temperature of the Pacific. Others are blaming the 2022 Tongan volcanic eruption which released millions of tons of water vapour – a potent greenhouse gas – into the atmosphere. The inconvenient truth is that adding up estimated effects from El Niño, the Tongan volcano and plain old climate change still wouldn’t account for the records 2024 has produced. Researchers are scratching their heads and looking for other guilty parties.