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I think the real problem is that the temperature is variable. Phoenix had its longest stretch of 110+ degree days since 74, which is damning to the average per

I think the real problem is that the temperature is variable. Phoenix had its longest stretch of 110+ degree days since 74, which is damning to the average person for climate change. Think “if we had a comparable heat wave 50 years ago, why should I assume the planet is heating up?” Now, do I believe in climate change? Yes, of course. Do I think this one year is the mark of the next year and the year after that steadily increasing in temp? No, not at all, or at least not an amount that is noticeable by humans. Climate change is something that is far more subtle and far reaching than “phoenix is a 5f hotter”

ditch_baby 3y ago
You’re not wrong on a micro scale, but this is global average temperature. There is significantly more energy trapped on the surface of the Earth, and it doesn’t have anywhere else to go. There are many many factors contributing to the reason why this year has been such a massive leap, primarily El Niño (behind GHG’s of course), but the consequences are dire. There will be permanent damage to critical Earth systems that will further accelerate climate change, even if the temp backs down as El Niño retreats. Oh, and by the way, El Niño is still ‘ramping up’ and won’t be at max energy for another 2-3 years. Expect more large temperature anomalies in the coming summers.