Scientists and climate experts know that global warming has been occurring since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, but exactly when the last global warming event happened depends on the definition of “global warming” being considered. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global warming is defined as an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface. If this is the definition you’re referring to, then the last global warming event appears to have been in 1998, when the average global temperature for that year was the highest in a hundred years. However, the warming trend continued from 1998 to 2005, and it is still occurring today.
It is clear that climate change is happening, and it’s happening faster than ever before. In the last 30 years, the average global temperature has increased at a rate of about 0.2 degrees Celsius each decade, which is more than double the rate of warming during the previous two centuries. This warming trend is primarily due to human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, which have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases—like carbon dioxide and methane—in the atmosphere, trapping the sun’s heat and creating a greenhouse effect.
Although the last global warming event may have been in 1998, its effects are ongoing, and there have been many other climate phenomena that have taken place since then. In the time between 1998 and 2020, the world has seen higher temperatures, drought, extreme weather events, sea level rise, and mass species extinctions due to climate change. For example, in 2020, the United States experienced the hottest summer on record, wildfires burned an area the size of Delaware, and a destructive record-breaking hurricane season that caused unprecedented damages to the Gulf Coast.
Humans are not the only ones feeling the impacts of global warming. In the Arctic, temperatures have increased by about 2-6 degrees Celsius over the past 30 years, meaning that many Arctic species are struggling to adapt. Polar bears, for example, are only able to travel longer distances in search of food and are increasingly seen in cities as they lose their hunting grounds. Glaciers across the globe are melting at an alarming rate, while coral reefs around the world are bleaching and dying due to rising ocean temperatures.
Despite the ongoing and worsening impacts of global warming, there is still hope. For the last few years, human activities have been showing signs of progress: renewable energy use is increasing, nuclear power use is decreasing, and global carbon dioxide emissions have stabilized. World leaders also made strides at the 2016 Paris Agreement, pledging to keep global temperatures from rising 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.
Therefore, although the last global warming event can be pinpointed to 1998, the effects of that event are still visible in the world today, and climate change continues to be a major concern. The good news is that human activities are showing signs of progress and world leaders are taking action. To protect our planet and its inhabitants, it is essential to continue on this path and ensure that global warming does not continue to worsen in the future.
