Have you performed a sustainability audit? If not, now is a good time to start!

Looking back at 2023, most experts—and most of us—agree that it was hot, hot, hot. In fact, the experts say it was the hottest year on record—not a good sign that we are doing enough to mitigate climate change. But hold on to your hats. Predictions are that 2024 will be even hotter. According to Axios reporting, including data sourced from NOAA, in 2023, we reached +1.15^oC hotter than the beginning of the industrial age. You’ll remember that the not-to-exceed target is +1.5^oC. The increase in 2023 was driven by record heat in September, at +1.47^oC for the month according to NASA data. NOAA reports that September was the most unusually warm month ever recorded in its 174 years of instrument records. Getting a little close for comfort.

Axios notes that a hotter 2024 would lend credence to the hypothesis that global warming is accelerating. And climate and weather experts bemoan the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a normal anymore. They do their best to provide accurate forecasts; but forecasts are in part based on past history. Of course, meteorologists use other data in developing their models and forecasts in addition to historical insights, including real-time observations and sophisticated computer models.