Global warming, which has been going on for over a century, is not a uniform process and does not guarantee that each subsequent summer will be hotter than the previous one. Denys Pishnyak, a candidate of geographical sciences and a specialist in atmospheric and geocosmic physics, spoke in an interview with Glavkom about the importance of understanding natural temperature fluctuations and their impact on the perception of climate change.
Pishniak emphasizes that while global temperatures are gradually rising, annual fluctuations remain significant. This factor often makes it difficult for scientists to accurately predict climate trends. For example, even if this summer turns out to be quite hot, as it was with temperatures below 40 degrees in 2024, this does not necessarily indicate a permanent worsening of thermal conditions.
“Natural fluctuations have a fairly large range, and for this reason they prevent scientists from seeing true climate trends,” explains Pishniak. According to him, the coming years may be hot, but they may be followed by periods of cooler temperatures. Such alternations can occur repeatedly, which makes it difficult to create a clear picture of the future climate.
Regarding winter conditions, Pishniak reassures those who miss snow: While climate change may affect the amount and duration of snow cover in Ukraine, it will not disappear completely.
“We will still see snow, although it may not fall as often and may not stay on the surface as long as before,” the expert notes.
The global warming trend, which began with the industrialization and urbanization of human civilization, is a long and complex process. Pishniak notes that the conditional start date of climate change can be considered 1850. Since then, the level of greenhouse gas emissions has increased significantly, which contributed to the gradual increase in temperatures on the planet.
