COLORADO, USA — Every year, hundreds of scientists from across the globe come together to report on the state of our climate to release the annual State of the Climate report.
The findings? Let's just say all those carbon-emitting cars are not just making for a hot mess on the roads – they're making for a hotter planet.
The international report claims the level of Earth warming greenhouse gases in the environment reached record levels last year.
And it's not just carbon dioxide causing problems. Methane is a major contributor to global warming as well.
According to the report, last year, we saw the highest growth in methane concentrations ever.
And if you're wondering where methane comes from, nearly a third of methane emissions, reportedly, come from livestock.
The report also found sea levels continue to rise, reaching a record high last year.
And the warming continues with 2021 ranking among the six warmest years on record.
Several climate experts from Colorado worked on the report.
Matt Druckenmiller, a research scientist at CU Boulder, was one of them. As for what the report means for Colorado, Druckenmiller said it means more challenges for the already strained state.
“With increase in drought, increase in temperatures in the west, we're going to see greater strains on our water resources, greater strains on our forests in terms of loss of biodiversity, as well as increase in fire risk,” he said.
But he also pointed out that there are definite steps we can take to slow the trend, like reducing our water and energy use.
Druckenmiller said the easiest way to do that is to focus on one thing we can do to make a difference.
Focusing on just one thing, and not all the problems makes the process of change a little less daunting.
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