A space groove rock song about the hottest year on Earth.
[Verse]
Lost in the cosmic void
The Earth’s temperature soars
Every year gets hotter
The heat wave roars
Melting ice caps
Rising tides
A planet in distress
The hottest year on Earth
It’s a cosmic mess
[Verse 2]
Parched lands and scorched skies
The sun’s relentless wrath
No escape from this heat
It’s a dangerous path
The Earth’s in a fever
Burning up from within
Humanity’s choices
A cosmic sin
[Chorus]
Cosmic fever
Burning up the atmosphere
Can’t escape the heat
It’s getting crystal clear
From galaxies far
They watch us wonder
The hottest year on Earth
Our cosmic blunder
ABOUT THE SONG
In the 20th century, the Earth’s surface temperature averaged 13.9℃. However, in the first weeks of July 2023, the global average temperature surged to 17℃, marking a concerning shift. The question arises: Can humans endure temperatures greater than 3℃? The answer is a grim “probably not long,” as such extremes have never been experienced by humanity before.
September 6, 2023, marked a dire warning from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, following the World Meteorological Organization’s report on the hottest Northern Hemisphere summer in human history. Guterres stated, “The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting,” emphasizing the severity of the situation.
Climate breakdown, the most alarming development, occurs when feedback loops are triggered, and tipping points are crossed. This leads to the extinction of plants, the disappearance of carbon sinks, and an exponential acceleration of Earth’s temperature. The consequences are dire, with the potential disappearance of vital resources like food, fresh water, and breathable air, likely followed by catastrophic impacts on human survival.
In October 2023, the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that the average temperature for September hit 16.38 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record set in September 2020 by 0.5 degrees Celsius. Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo described it as “mind-blowing” and emphasized the devastating impacts on people and ecosystems, citing destruction of assets, infrastructure, and harvests. “What we are observing, are not only new extremes but the persistence of these record-breaking conditions, and the impacts these have on both people and planet, are a clear consequence of the warming of the climate system,” Director Buontempo said.
By January 2024, the Earth had experienced an alarming annual average temperature increase of over 1.5 degrees Celsius. This temperature rise continued in February 2024, with a monthly average reaching 1.77 degrees above pre-industrial levels, occurring centuries earlier than previously predicted. The urgency to address and combat climate change has never been more critical.