Johannesburg reschedules Spring Day
August seems to be the new September as Johannesburg is already experiencing spring temperatures, aligning with global climate trends.
Despite Spring Day traditionally being celebrated on 1 September in South Africa, Johannesburg has already marked the occasion this year due to climate change. It appears August is becoming the new September.
Johannesburg temperatures
Temperatures this past weekend reached as high as 24˚C. According to AccuWeather, the temperatures for August so far and the predictions for the rest of the month show an average temperature of 22˚C.
This aligns with the predictions by weather25, which also forecasts an average temperature of 22°C for Johannesburg for August 2024. They predict an average lowest temperature of 11°C and little to no rain during August.
Expected temperatures for the middle of the month are expected to reach up to 26˚C.
The Daily Maverick reported that Johannesburg is currently experiencing consistent spring temperatures.
“What we are witnessing in Joburg is anthropogenic climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels.”
Ed Stoddard, The Daily Maverick
Johannesburg is not alone – climates are changing globally
The Copernicus Climate Change Service recorded a series of record high temperatures for April 2024. Globally, we experienced the warmest April on record, with temperatures 0.7˚C above the 1991–2020 average.
The Earth reached a new record daily global average temperature in July 2024, with the warmest day in recent history occurring on 22 July 2024 – 17.16°C.
Scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported that average global temperatures hit record highs for each respective month between May 2023 and May 2024. They furthermore stated that this trend has been evident over the past four decades, with the last 10 consecutive years being the warmest on record since data collection began in the late 19th century.
What is climate change?
According to the United Nations, climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.
Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.
The main greenhouse gases that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. These come from using gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building, for example. Cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide. Agriculture, oil, and gas operations are major sources of methane emissions. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use are among the main sectors contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.