Extremely hot weather sounds urgent alarm

Fears about global temperatures touching record highs have become a reality, as the average temperature of the Earth reached 17.01 C on July 3 and 17.18 C on July 4 and 5. The redline of 17 C was crossed thrice on three consecutive days.

Worse, the heatwave is hitting more places than predicted. In the northern parts of China, many cities are seeing temperatures exceeding 40 C, while in India hundreds of people had to be taken to hospital when the temperature touched 43.5 C. Spain, France and Germany are all experiencing an extremely hot summer, and the United Kingdom had its hottest June since 1884.

Some meteorologists believe it's El Nino that is triggering high temperatures this year, just as it did in 2016. However, some people are skeptical because they believe "our understanding of the El Nino phenomenon is far from sufficient". Others say that even without El Nino, the world would still have been hotter than at any time in the past 125,000 years.

Which naturally stresses the need to take heed to the call for cutting carbon emissions. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, supported by the United Nations, countries can help avoid severe global warming by reducing the use of coal, oil and natural gas, increasing the development of renewable energy, and aiding farmers in carbon sequestration in agricultural soils.

Strengthening measures against weather conditions might help mitigate the hazards of extreme weather. But in the long run, it is imperative for countries to actively join forces and safeguard the Earth.