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According to recent research, global warming began as early as the 1940’s, in regions like Indonesia, Africa and Australia.
These findings were revealed by the Australian Research Center of Excellence for Climate System, and published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Overall, researchers suggest that global warming isn’t a man-made phenomenon of the recent decades, and that fossil fuels have actually been of great assistance to human progress.
After analyzing deviations in average and extreme temperatures, the team of experts concluded that global warming first began in South East Asia and Africa, during the 1940’s.
Following simulations at the University of Reading, researchers also established that signs of global warming were also present in the tropics during the 1960’s. Normally, such regions don’t experience significant variations in temperatures, and scientists could easily identify small shifts in this narrow range of values.
During the 1980’s, the phenomenon became more discernible, as temperatures reached more extreme values, and eventually the emergence of global warming was noticeable closer to the poles as well.
Researchers also claim that currently the effects of global warming are less obvious in the central and East coast states of the U.S., in contrast with the western states, but in the next 10 years temperature rises will become more apparent.
While global warming has manifested itself through record-breaking hot temperatures in recent years, rainfall hasn’t been as significant as expected.
However, Australian experts predict that in the next three decades there will be heavy precipitations in the Russian Federation, Canada and northern Europe. The most significant change will be noticed during winter, when snow will become less common, after being replaced by rainfall.
This group of researchers also claims that fossil fuels were actually greatly beneficial to mankind, as they allowed access to “abundant, affordable, reliable energy”.
According to them, thanks to this supply, absolute poverty was significantly reduced since the 1990’s, from around 50% to less than 20%. In addition, non-renewable energy boosted transportation, access to goods and technologies, as well as the economy of developing countries.
These allegations come in the wake of a historic visit by Pope Francis in the United States, where he met with President Barack Obama and praised him for his efforts in tackling climate change.
The U.S. is due to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26% in the next 10 years, in an effort to reduce global warming. The Pope has also backed scientists who claim climate change is a man-made phenomenon, and urged authorities to take “decisive action” against environmental pollution.
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