"This year’s record temperatures have some scientists concerned that the pace of warming may be accelerating. But not everyone agrees."
"For the past several years, a small group of scientists has warned that sometime early this century, the rate of global warming — which has remained largely steady for decades — might accelerate. Temperatures could rise higher, faster. The drumbeat of weather disasters may become more insistent.
And now, after what is poised to be the hottest year in recorded history, the same experts believe that it is already happening.
In a paper published last month, climate scientist James E. Hansen and a group of colleagues argued that the pace of global warming is poised to increase by 50 percent in the coming decades, with an accompanying escalation of impacts.
According to the scientists, an increased amount of heat energy trapped within the planet’s system — known as the planet’s “energy imbalance” — will accelerate warming. “If there’s more energy coming in than going out, you get warmer, and if you double that imbalance, you’re going to get warmer faster,” Hansen said in a phone interview."
Chris Mooney and Shannon Osaka report for the Washington Post December 26, 2023.
SEE ALSO:
"Earth Was Due for Another Year of Record Warmth. But This Warm?" (New York Times)
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