August 2020 was the second-hottest August since records began in 1880. Only 2016—currently the hottest year on record—had a hotter August. In fact, the five warmest Augusts on record have all occurred since 2015— proof that global temperatures are rising at an alarming rate. According to data from weather stations, ships, and satellites, August 2020 was over 2°C hotter than the average month. And though temperatures during summer are always slightly above the average, as the chart above shows, this temperature difference has doubled over the last century! As well as August, the months from February to April 2020 were also the second-warmest ever recorded. If this trend continues, scientists predict that 2020 will likely become the second-hottest year on record. When it comes to the world heating up, setting records such as this one is far from a good thing. Global warming has led to an increase in the number of extreme weather events over the last hundred years, and this trend is only going to get worse. If we want to continue to thrive on this planet, halting Earth's dangerous temperature rise must be a top priority for the 21st century.
2020年8月是1880年有紀錄以來，第二炎熱的八月。只有2016年（目前史上最熱的年度）的八月比2020年的八月更炎熱。事實上，紀錄在案最高溫的五個八月，均發生於2015 年之後─證明了全球溫度正以令人警戒的速度攀升。 根據氣象站、氣象船與氣象衛星的數據資料，2020年八月的氣溫比往年八月的平均溫度高2°C。雖然如上圖所示，夏季氣溫總是會稍微高於平均溫度，但此溫差在過去一世紀以來，已經差距兩倍了！ 和八月一樣，2020年的二月至四月亦為史上第二高溫的月分。此趨勢如果持續下去，科學家預測2020年很有可能成為史上第二炎熱的年度。 論及世界氣溫攀升一事，像這樣不斷打破紀錄並非好現象。全球暖化已導致過去一百年來，眾多極端氣候事件層出不窮。而這樣的趨勢只會每況愈下。如果我們想讓地球蓬勃發展，那麼停止地球危險的氣溫攀升，絕對是21世紀的首要之務。 | 
