MORNING NEWSBREAK | Summer 2024 has been labeled as Earth’s hottest summer on record, making it more likely that the year as a whole could be humanity’s warmest recorded year, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Global temperatures between June and August were 0.03 degrees Celsius (0.05 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than last year, the agency said. The season reached its apex in late July, when Copernicus’s sophisticated temperature analysis program detected the four hottest days ever recorded.
The extreme heat, according to Copernicus, was a complex combination of human-caused climate change and a strong El Niño event – a natural phenomenon characterized by warm temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.
And though the El Niño event ended in June, much of that energy remained in the earth’s system, according to Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo.
A La Nina event – a temporary natural cooling of parts of the central Pacific – is forecasted for the rest of the year, but its effects may not be strong enough to counter the sweltering heat of the past three months.
“In order for 2024 not to become the warmest on record, we need to see very significant landscape cooling for the remaining few months, which doesn’t look likely at this stage,” Buontempo said.
In Charleston City Paper news today:
CP OPINION: Character counts in 2024 election
“Instead, it’s all about character and the future of our democracy. Do we want to continue in the Obama-Biden tradition to move forward and try to make a better America for everyone? Or do we want to steer the country backwards toward a more divided country where fear, injustice, inequality and poverty rule?”
CP CARTOON:
CP FEATURE: Game bar trend conjures wistful past. In a city full of arcade and video game lovers (and perhaps some folks stuck in a sort of infantile fixation), bar-goers may begin to wonder where to find the nearest bar and turn those games into prizes. This year saw the departure of long-standing entertainment venue, The Alley, but luckily, there are other arcade bars where gamers can get their fix.
CP NEWS: West Ashley may be home to state’s first official cemetery. South Carolina’s first official graveyard, believed to have been lost for centuries, may have been recently rediscovered in West Ashley. If it turns out to be the real thing, its graves could date all the way back to the founding of Charles Towne.
CP EXPLAINER: The death penalty in South Carolina. After a 13-year hiatus, the state of South Carolina is planning to resume executions this month amid an ongoing debate about the fairness, expense and effectiveness of capital punishment.
CP NEWS: $354M price tag for Main Road flyover concerns council. A project to improve traffic at the perennially clogged intersection of U.S. Highway 17 and Main Road is on the docket at a Sept. 5 committee meeting of Charleston County Council. But its inflated price tag — estimates have tripled since 2020 — have council members concerned.
CP ART: Black masking and beadwork on display at Halsey. Demond Melancon brings a New Orleans tradition into the contemporary art world with his first solo museum exhibition, As Any Means Are Necessary, now on view at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art.
In other news headlines today:
Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging Charleston Co. tax referendum. The order, filed Thursday, calls the lawsuit filed by the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League “premature and speculative” since the election hasn’t happened.
Charleston Co. approves sustainability plan to combat climate change. Charleston County Council voted Thursday night to approve a final Climate Action Plan that will help the county combat green-house gas emissions.
Navarro loses in U.S. Open quarterfinals against Sabalenka. Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka beat Charleston’s Emma Navarro Thursday 6-3, 7-6 (2).
New technology to help Charleston EMS respond to 911 calls faster. A $1.29 million grant from the Department of Transportation will go towards new technology to streamline operations and get first responders to critical situations more quickly.
HALO announces new operatic shows in Charleston. Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera (HALO) recently revealed its 2024-2025 season schedule, which will feature Grammy-nominated vocalist Sidney Outlaw and pianist Warren Jones headlining the first show.
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