2020, one of the hottest years

According to the European Copernicus service, 2020 is one of the hottest periods on record. Like 2016, 2020 ended at 1.25 ° C above the pre-industrial period. A more complete summary is expected on Thursday, January 14, 2021. The final temperature figures for the past year will be published that day by the WMO (World Meteorological Organization). This structure will be based on observations from NASA, Copernicus, the Japanese Meteorological Service, the NOAA (United States Oceanic and Atmospheric Observation Agency) and the British meteorological services. The World Meteorological Organization said in December that 2020 was among the three warmest years.

2.2 ° C above the pre-industrial period in Europe

In 2020, a climatic phenomenon called La Niña was recorded. This phenomenon causes an overall drop in temperatures. In 2016, a natural oceanic phenomenon similar to the reverse trends was noted. Without the impacts of La Niña, 2020 would arguably be the hottest year on record. During this period, the European continent was marked by an exceptional heat wave (1.6 ° C above the period 1981-2010, 0.4 ° C above 2019, 2.2 ° C above above the pre-industrial period). The objectives of the agreement which concern the entire planet have not been met. Warming is much faster in some areas. It should also be borne in mind that the land is warming faster than the oceans. The situation in the Arctic is much more critical than that of Europe. In this area, temperatures in 2020 exceeded the reference average by 6 ° C.

Far from the trajectory of the Paris agreement

During 2020, very intense forest fires occurred in Siberia. This led to the release of 244 megatons of carbon dioxide (CO2). It has become urgent to find ways to drastically reduce emissions and prevent adverse effects on the climate. The consequences of global warming are already being felt across the planet. Exceptional heat waves were noted. The pack ice is melting, precipitation has increased exponentially and hurricanes in the Caribbean have increased. The situation is likely to get worse if we do not change some of our habits. The Paris Agreement target of keeping global warming below + 2 ° C is far from being achieved.

Stop CO2 emissions

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the economy. Thousands of companies have had to shut down all of their activities. CO2 emissions fell by 7% during the year 2020. But despite this, there is an increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. It reached the maximum level in May 2020 (413 ppm). For things to really improve, net global emissions must be reduced to zero. If not, CO2 will continue to accumulate in the atmosphere. A new climate change is likely to occur.