April 2016 Breaks Heat Record

Estimates indicate that last month was the hottest April recorded in history, and at the same time, it was the seventh consecutive month that set a new record due to the heat wave affecting the Earth. Thousands of people in April and this month (May), including in India, have lost their lives due to heat, water shortages, and related issues. Looking at a table prepared by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Earth's heat has generally been on the rise despite some fluctuations. However, such high temperatures have not been recorded since 1880. Additionally, April was the seventh consecutive month that heat has increased, again unprecedented compared to the past. The Huffington Post quoted Gavin Schmidt, a NASA administrator, stating that 2016 is 99% likely to be the hottest year on record. Hearing such claims about the 'hottest' recorded year is not surprising; over the past few years, scientists and researchers have repeatedly reported 'new temperature records.' The year 2013 was among the hottest years in history, and it was expected that with the arrival of 2014, temperatures would rise further. After that, it was stated that 2015 broke records, and now attention is on statistics indicating that this year's heat will be more severe than all previous years. This year, the Earth is also experiencing one of the strongest El Niños in history; a climatic phenomenon that leads to weather changes around the world, which again has set records in terms of intensity this year. The World Bank warned last year that if proper policies are not implemented to combat climate change, global warming, and consequently rising sea levels, an additional 100 million people will be added to the world's poor population in the next 15 years. In the same year, over 190 countries signed an agreement aimed at combating climate change, after years of negotiations and meetings among world leaders: limiting the increase in Earth's temperature in the coming years to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve this goal, governments have committed to stopping the increase in greenhouse gas emissions 'as soon as possible.' This agreement states that after 2050, greenhouse gas pollutants must reach a level that forests and oceans can absorb them.