Is the planet heating faster than we realise?

Efforts to fight climate change do not seem to be having the intended effect, as the hottest summers have been marked by extreme weather. Or is it that the planet is heating much faster than we realise?

Increasing levels of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere is heating up the planet faster

The recently concluded summer is officially the hottest on record. Not just 2026, but the years prior to it also broke records, and with the prevailing El Niño, one can guess that 2027 won’t be forgiving either. This is despite all the efforts we have made to switch to cleaner sources of fuel and transportation, and to consciously reduce consumption. So, the question remains is the planet heating faster than we realise?

When less pollution increases temperatures

We have all heard how reducing our carbon emissions will help cool the planet. However, switching away from fossil fuels also has an unintended effect. The cleaner air that we have is still has those carbon emissions, which warm the planet. What is missing is pollutants like sulphur, which were masking the warming before.

As governments pushed for cleaner air by reducing pollution from power plants, the levels of sulphur from the atmosphere have fallen sharply. Sulphur released as sulphur dioxide after burning gas and oil makes tiny aerosols which are bright and reflect sunlight away from the Earth, creating a cooling effect.

These aerosols also function like tiny seeds around which clouds can form. More clouds in the atmosphere also means more sunlight