Last year was the hottest year in recorded history. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, backed by NASA and the Met Office, global temperatures averaged 14.98°C in 2023, 0.17°C warmer than the previous peak, and this was not the only record that was broken. From June 2023 - February 2024, the temperature logged each month was the highest that it has ever been.
February 2024 was approximately 1.77°C warmer than similar periods before the Industrial Revolution, breaking the previous peak from 2016 by around 0.12°C. Particularly high temperatures were recorded in parts of Asia, Africa, and South America, and compared with temperatures in 1850 - 1890, almost half of all days in 2023 were 1.5°C hotter.
These broken records are not limited to global air temperatures – other metrics are also being pushed to unbeaten heights. In Antarctica, levels of sea ice have reached extreme lows, and the surface of the ocean is the hottest it has ever been. Oil and gas operators have to act on their spiralling emissions and make a real contribution in the fight against climate change once and for all – and with modern emissions detection technology, they already have access to all the tools they need.
The threat of methane
For decades, the energy sector has overseen vast plumes of methane and CO2 being released into the air as a result of its operations. However, despite the threat of global warming being widely understood, the problem of pollution persists...
This article was originally published in the July 2024 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering magazine. To read the full article, sign in or register for a free subscription.
Written by Mark Naples, Umicore Coating Services.