The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) just posted global temperature data for May. Their statement reads, in part:
“The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for May 2016 was the highest for May in the 137-year period of record, at 0.87°C (1.57°F) above the 20th century average of 14.8°C (58.6°F), besting the previous record set in 2015 by 0.02°C (0.04°F). May 2016 marks the 13th consecutive month a monthly global temperature record has been broken—the longest such streak since global temperature records began in 1880.” [emphasis added]
Read more on the NOAA website.
This dire news underscores our campaign to expose and stop methane leakage from natural gas operations. As Cornell University’s Dr. Robert Howarth says: “The only way to avoid irreversible harm to the climate is by reducing our methane emissions from shale gas now.”
The public and policy makers must learn about the methane spewing from US natural gas infrastructure, about the fact that methane is 100 times worse than carbon dioxide for the climate over the short term, and about plans by Duke Energy and other utilities to greatly expand the use of fracked gas.