It seems amazing, but a GIF it can alert us to the real threat posed by global warming. It has been developed by the British researcher Ed Hawkins, and shows in a very simple way how the temperature has been increasing since 1850, and how close we are to reaching 2 degrees Celsius.
The increase in temperatures is what worries the most, and in turn, the easiest to detect. If we cross the 2ºC threshold, the consequences will be fatal. And we are very close to reach them.
Hawkins, who works at the National Center for Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Reading, in the United Kingdom, set out to illustrate the changes that are already taking place in different ways to improve communication, which was more direct. And apparently, he has succeeded. The GIF shows a polygonal spiral that present the information just see it.
Every turn represents an increase in temperatures, which have been changing month by month and decade after decade. When you see that they all turn in the same direction, in the end you end up worrying, because you get a clear and direct message: global warming is real, and since 1850 it has not stopped increasing. Here you can see the GIF:
As can be seen, from 1990 the biggest jump took place. The matter is serious. Temperature records are being broken lately every month, and if this continues, it is almost certain that before we imagine the global average temperature will have risen by the dreaded two degrees Celsius.
It is thus a real threat that we will have to face as soon as possible. While world leaders are the ones who can do more for the planet, ordinary citizens can and must also do something, including recycle, re-use, do not pollute: save water.
Together we can improve the situation.