Sharks and rays are disappearing faster than many other marine species

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Earth's hottest day record broken after just twenty four hours,
the global average temperature continued to rise above the previous
record of seventeen point zero nine degrees celsius, set on
July twenty first, driven by an unusually warm winter in
the Arctic. According to preliminary data from the European Union's

(00:22):
Copernicus Climate Change Service, the global average temperature reached seventeen
point one five degrees celsius on July twenty second, surpassing
the previous day's record of seventeen point zero nine degrees celsius,
as reported by NBC News. In other words, Earth experienced
its two hottest consecutive days. An unusually warm winter in

(00:46):
Antarctica contributed to pushing global temperatures to new highs. The
temperature record marks a milestone that climate scientists do not
expect to last long as human activities continue to accelerate
climate change by releasing pollution from fossil fuels into the atmosphere.
Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections, stated that

(01:09):
while it wasn't surprising the record was broken, the temperature
surge over the past two years is still startling people
across the globe are facing the impacts of extreme heat
this week and throughout the summer. In California, USA, temperatures
surpass thirty seven degrees celsius in many areas on July

(01:29):
twenty second, increasing the risk of wildfires. The temperature in
al Dyde, a city in northeast Dubai, rose to forty
seven point eight degrees celsius. Southern France continues to bake,
while many regions in Spain and Portugal issued heat warnings.
In addition to climate change, this year's summer heat has

(01:49):
been exacerbated by El Nino, a natural climate pattern that
brings warmer sea temperatures to the eastern Pacific and raises
global temperatures. Henson hopes that La Nina, a phenomenon associated
with cooler temperatures, will bring some relief by the end
of the year, potentially lowering the average temperature. Even if

(02:10):
we don't see similar records next year, we know the
long term forecast is for increasingly warmer temperatures over time,
Henson said. Copernicus uses climate analysis data, combining real world
observations with computer models of atmospheric circulation to track global temperatures.
The program has been recording temperature data since nineteen forty

(02:34):
before July twenty first. The hottest day on record was
August twelfth, twenty sixteen, with a global average temperature of
sixteen point eight degrees celsius. The July twenty two record
could still be broken, according to Carlobe Tempo, director of
the Copernicus Climate Change Service,