The year 2023 is breaking heat records, highlighting the undeniable effects of global warming.
While there are those who question the role of human activity in climate change, researchers have delved deeper into history to understand whether the planet has ever experienced conditions as hot as the current.
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A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that Earth entered a climatic state unprecedented in over 100,000 years.
Global temperatures have already surpassed 1°C above pre-industrial levels, while greenhouse gas levels greenhouse suggest that such conditions will persist for centuries, even if polluting energy sources are replaced.
The crucial question is: How did scientists determine past temperatures? We will understand this issue in more detail below.
Drawing on a range of natural sources, including sediments from lakes and oceans, it is possible to access a wealth of biological, chemical and physical information. Such deposits paint a picture of the ancient climate.
These sedimentary records have revealed that temperature fluctuations over centuries are part of a natural cycle. Earth fluctuates between glacial and interglacial conditions every 100,000 years, influenced by changes in its orbit.
We are currently in an interglacial period, which began about 12,000 years ago, characterized by the retreat of ice sheets and the increase in greenhouse gases.
(Image: Reuters / Playback)
By analyzing this interglacial period, scientists concluded that global average temperatures may have peaked around 6,000 years ago, but did not exceed current levels.
However, when going further back in time to an earlier interglacial, there is evidence of warmer temperatures. warmer, reaching around 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels — numbers comparable to global warming current.
Looking to the future, the projections are worrisome. If greenhouse gas emissions continue unchecked, Earth could reach 3°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.
To find a similar heat scenario in the planet's history, one would have to go back millions of years.
As we explore the extent of climate change, it is essential to remember that our world has a rich and complex history of climate variation. However, modern evidence and the influence of human activities on the climate cannot be ignored.
The urgency for action becomes clearer with each heat record recorded, and the challenge of mitigating the climate changes it requires a global and immediate approach to preserve the planet's future.
