Scottish Climate Update - January 2010
16 February 2010
January 2010 was the coldest January since 1979 and the 8th coldest ever recorded. January was also the 4th sunniest ever recorded.
COMMENT:
Dr Sam Gardner, Climate Policy Officer for WWF Scotland, said:
“January was bitterly cold and snow caused widespread disruption several times during the month. But it was also the fourth sunniest January on record. The arctic air that has chilled us since early December may continue for a while but it is a cool blip against a background of steadily increasing temperatures. No doubt we will see the occasional harsh winter month in future but they will become increasingly rare. This is highlighted by the fact that globally last month was the warmest January since satellite records began 32 years ago.
“2010 is the year when the world’s leaders get another chance to come up with a climate deal but the UN deadline at the end of January produced no new promises on reducing emissions. It is also the year when Scotland needs to show it is serious about delivering on our tough targets of a 42% reduction by 2020.
“We are already gearing up for WWF’s Earth Hour, our annual global climate change action at the end of March. We’re expecting hundreds of millions of people round the world to take part, sending a clear message to world leaders that we need them to seal a climate deal.”
THE YEAR SO FAR
January was very cold but was also the 4th sunniest January in Scotland according to the records which began in 1929. It was particularly sunny in the west.
