Will El Niño on top of global heating create the perfect climate storm?

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece from The Guardian here or enjoy below!

🗞️ Driving the news: The sharp increase in North Atlantic surface temperatures and the drop in Antarctic sea ice have raised concerns about the potential impact of El Niño on top of global heating
• Scientists are raising questions about the climate entering a more erratic and dangerous phase

🔭 The context: Rising temperatures in the North Atlantic and the decline in global sea ice coverage highlight the rapid pace of climate change
• An El Niño event is typically declared when sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise to at least 0.5C above the long-term average

 🌎 Why does it matter for the planet: The warming trend and El Niño event can result in marine life challenges, fiercer storms, destructive rainfall, and prolonged heat waves
• These changes emphasize the need to address the root causes of climate change, particularly the burning of fossil fuels

⏭️ What’s next: In the coming months, The WMO and national meteorological services will closely monitor the development of El Niño and the related impact on global temperatures and weather patterns
• The effects of the El Niño event will however become more apparent in 2024

💬 One quote: Prof. Peter Stott, UK Met Office "As the El Niño builds through the rest of this year, adding an extra oomph to the damaging effects of human-induced global heating, many millions of people across the planet and many diverse ecosystems are going to face extraordinary challenges and unfortunately suffer great damage." (Prof. Peter Stott, UK Met Office)

📉 One Stat: In May, the average temperature in the North Atlantic region was the highest since records began in 1850, indicating a significant warming trend

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