For Mexico and the world, 2024 was the warmest year since temperature measurements were taken, warned specialists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
It was also the first year in which most observational databases indicate that the global temperature anomaly exceeded the threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (ºC), with an average value of 1.55 ºC above the pre-industrial period.
“Mexico has the largest hot record in its history, but it is not alone. All these databases allow us to say that there are around 109 countries that are above the average, almost all of them have as a common denominator that they are tropical or subtropical countries and that there is a strong degree of aridity,” Amparo Martínez, said in a conference. researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change at UNAM.
The specialist explained that these data, obtained from different sources such as the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), reveal that the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees that the Paris Agreement had asked to avoid was temporarily exceeded.
In the fifth month of 2024, Mexico experienced the hottest May since 1953, with a national average temperature of 27 degrees, as reported by the National Meteorological Service (SMN).
Trump’s arrival to power is worryingwarns the UNAM
Francisco Estrada, coordinator of the UNAM Climate Change research program, explained that this is the second consecutive year that the planet exceeds 1.5ºC, which was expected to occur in 2040, so the estimates have been advanced a decade. .
“The international context is very important here. We are entering a period in the world where Donald Trump has a second term in the presidency (of the United States), which will cause a significant increase in that country’s emissions and, in addition, will stimulate other countries in the world to stop to fulfill the promises they had made,” he said.
In that sense, the academic considered that it is very likely that with the arrival of Trump to the presidency of the United States, the negotiations will worsen, although he highlighted that one hope is that several states in that country have commitments to mitigate climate change.
“But the analyzes that have been done indicate that, for example, Trump’s presidency would put about 4 billion tons of additional CO2 (carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere. Another effect is what can be generated in terms of the discussion of climate change, it will try to raise doubts or dilute responsibilities,” he predicted.
The academic regretted that there is no progress and even setbacks in international negotiations to reduce high greenhouse emissions, which is why he called on society and decision makers to be aware of the situation.
“(2024) was the warmest year for much of the planet, 104 countries experienced the highest annual temperatures on record, 40% of the population, that is, 3.3 billion people had their warmest year,” he stated. .
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Jorge Zavala, director of the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change at UNAM, emphasized the importance of Mexico taking measures to reduce its greenhouse gases and adapt to the new conditions that affect practically all human activities and all ecosystems.
Global temperatures in 2024 surpassed the heat record set in 2023 and were 2.30 degrees Fahrenheit (1.28 degrees Celsius) above NASA records from the 20th century (1951-1980).
The US federal agency reported last week that the Earth’s surface temperature last year was the warmest on record.
The new parameter comes after 15 consecutive months (June 2023 to August 2024) of monthly temperature records, an unprecedented hot streak.
With information from EFE.
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