From soaring temperatures, melting glaciers, intense wildfires, and stronger typhoons, there’s no doubt that global warming is worsening at an accelerating rate than most people expect it to be, leading experts to coin a new term that is much more suitable to describe the current predicament that our world is in.
Reduced crop yields. Higher food costs. Food scarcity and diseases. These are just three of the many devastating possible effects of global warming.
“Global warming," as widely known by people, is the gradual increase in the planet's average temperature. The burning of fossil fuels and other environmentally harmful acts, such as cutting down forest trees and burning plastics, have caused this warming trend, which has been around for a considerable time already, to speed up in pace in recent years, leading to significantly higher and harsher temperatures.
On top of the high temperatures mainly caused by man-made actions that can be seen all over the world, mainly in countries near the equator, we can now also see the different and several effects of global warming on broadcasted news over the recent months: this includes shocking extensive forest fires starting early and out of season and droughts in humid countries getting worse.
However, despite these disastrous circumstances brought upon us by global warming, many people still seem to take climate change lightly, as if it doesn’t have an ounce of effect on earth at all. This ignorance is to be expected, as for most people, the effect of global warming is still minimal—but it’s just for now.
Many scientists and experts felt that the people’s ignorance regarding the escalating and worsening situation of global warming should now stop, as the consequences of this very global phenomenon are becoming too much for humanity to handle.
Thus, as July 2023 came to an end—marking the hottest month ever recorded—UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres took the opportunity to announce the beginning of one of the biggest predicaments that the world has ever faced yet, the era of “Global Boiling.”
THE NEED FOR A NEW TERMINOGY
The word “global warming” has been the go-to phrase of most people: it is used by kids, adults, students, and even scientists when describing the inevitable rise of the Earth's temperature that is continuously causing more frequent droughts, heavier rainfall, stronger hurricanes, and longer, more intense heat waves.
This term, which was invented by scientists to supposedly raise concern about the abnormal “warming” of some parts of the world due to climate change, suggests a gradual, slow, and somewhat consequential increase in temperature on earth—a notion that might breed or result in complacency and ignorance for some people, as the word used is not as accurate as it could be.
In response to this situation, the UN decided to replace the term 'Global Warming' with 'Global Boiling.' This newly coined term, which describes the catastrophic and abnormal rise in temperature on earth, is a sharp, declarative, and grim term that perfectly represents the urgent reality of our planet's situation.
Indeed. Despite the stark and stringent nature of the word “global boiling," it perfectly reflects the extreme and rapid temperamental changes that the world is currently experiencing. As we continue to witness extreme weather events, severe droughts, and floods that may have only occurred once in the lives of our parents happening more frequently, it becomes increasingly clear that our planet is in a state of crisis.
Thus, these sudden changes in terminology that are used to describe the abnormality of the earth's temperature are not an exaggerated decision made by the United Nations; rather, it is a rightful course of action that is necessary for the experts to take in order to lessen the complacency and ignorance of people in regards to this serious and calamitous situation.
Likewise, the newly coined term “global boiling” is neither an overstatement nor an amplification to cause panic and alarm. It is true, and unfortunately, this harsh reality is happening right now.
THE SIGNS OF “GLOBAL BOILING”
The Earth is growing hotter, and the signs are undeniable, even to those who remain oblivious. From the alarming rise in sea levels and increasing frequency of natural disasters to the unnatural changing of wildlife habitats and rising of average temperatures in numerous countries, the dismaying effects of global warming are becoming more apparent. Similarly, as people continue to emit heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which inarguably harm the environment, these disheartening signs are getting harder and harder to ignore.
Since the Industrial Revolution in 1880, when fossil fuels were first used in transportation and power plants, the temperature of the Earth has increased by 1 degree Celsius—roughly 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Although this warming has not been consistent throughout the earth, the increase in the global average temperature indicates that more regions are heating than cooling. At a rate of about 0.15 to 0.20 °C per decade, the majority of the warming of the earth's temperature has taken place since the year 1975 up until now.
That might not seem like much to most people, but it’s alarming to most experts. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for dealing with weather and climate matters, 2023 was the hottest and warmest year ever recorded in the 174-year observational history of Earth. Furthermore, the ten hottest years on Earth that are listed on record have all occurred within the past decade, specifically from 2014 to 2024. These data show how extreme weather events are becoming more common recently.
In July 2023 alone, according to the data that the UN released, we experienced the hottest three weeks, hottest three days, and the highest ocean temperatures ever recorded—a troubling achievement that can serve as serious warning about how fast our climate is changing.
Unfortunately, it's highly unlikely that July's temperature record is just a rare event or an anomaly. In fact, as added by the UN, there is a 98% chance that we will encounter one or more months in the upcoming five years that will be eventually considered the hottest month on record.
In regard to this shocking event, the UN Secretary-General, AntΓ³nio Guterres, said in an interview that we are in a dangerous time for humanity.
For the United Nations Secretary to talk about this matter and raise awareness in a television-broadcast interview, there is no doubt that the signs of the abnormal temperature fluctuations on earth are becoming increasingly extreme, dreadful, and disastrous.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING ACTION
Without a doubt, the main purpose of changing the name of “global warming” to “global boiling is to elicit action among people—it is a wake-up call, a plea, and a warning to not just you and me but to everyone that the current situation that our world is in is not to be taken lightly.
In order to protect millions of people from the effects of climate change, particularly in developing nations, Mr. Guterres called for "a global surge in adaptation investment," as it is alarming that extreme weather events are now "becoming the new normal." In an interview, Mr. Guterres stressed the need for the G20 members to set new emissions targets and called on all countries to work towards reaching net zero emissions by 2050. While stopping the growth of oil and gas projects and aiming to phase out coal by 2040, he emphasized the need for all stakeholders to come together in order to promote a fair and just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
He also pointed out that action from companies, cities, organizations, financial institutions, fossil fuel firms, and, of course, normal citizens is important in carrying out this climate action.
"No more greenwashing. No more deception. And no more abusive distortion of anti-trust laws to sabotage net zero alliances," he asserted.
People all throughout the world are already suffering from the effects of global warming, whether they admit it or not. Climate scientists have now come to the conclusion that, in order to prevent a future in which extreme droughts, wildfires, floods, tropical storms, and other disasters caused by climate change happen and wreck havoc, we must try our best and limit the earth’s temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the year 2040.
Everyone is affected by the consequences of global warming—now called by experts as “global boiling” in one way or another, may it be through experiencing intense heat every afternoon or through sweating profusely more frequently than before. This effect is especially clear for those who are marginalized in society, as they often face poverty, hunger, and displacement as a result of climate change.
Thus, in order to prevent further damage not just to our environment and the planet but also to living human beings, it is important to take action. This can help us avoid the worst possible scenario that this current predicament could result in.
These actions and measures could include switching to renewable sources of energy (such as solar and wind energy) to provide electricity to our homes that can help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We can also participate in tree-planting activities, which can lessen our annual carbon dioxide emissions and improve the state of our environment. In addition, we can switch to energy-efficient appliances and lighting that can decrease our overall energy consumption.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to ceasing or diminishing global boiling. However, by staking these seemingly small steps, every individual can make a difference—whether big or small. In doing so, together, our collective and shared efforts can lead to a significant change in how we tackle and deal with climate challenges just to protect our planet for future generations to come.
With that, we must keep in mind that as global warming ends, the era of global boiling starts. It’s terrifying, but it’s just the beginning.
REFERENCES:
[1] MacMillan, A. (2021, April 7). Global rWarming 101. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101
[2] Hashiguchi, H. (2023, December 9). Perspective on the Era of Global Boiling: A Future beyond Global Warming. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2023/5580606#:~:text=The%20shift%20from%20global%20warming,ecosystems%2C%20society%2C%20and%20economy.
[3] Jones, F. (2023, July 27). Hottest July ever signals ‘era of global boiling has arrived’ says UN chief. https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1139162
[4] Niranjan, A. (2023, July 27). ‘Era of global boiling has arrived,’ says UN chief as July set to be hottest month on record. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jul/27/scientists-july-world-hottest-month-record-climate-temperatures
[5] World Meteorological Organization 2024, March 19). Climate change indicators reached record levels in 2023: WMO.
https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/climate-change-indicators-reached-record-levels-2023-wmo#:~:text=2023%20was%20the%20warmest%20year%20in%20the%20174%2Dyear%20observational,above%20the%201850%E2%80%931900%20average.
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