Our environment has shifted over time, having a significant effect on summer temperatures around the world. Discourses regarding global warming and sea level rise have all stemmed from the concept of climate change, which is negatively impacting Earth, now more than ever. Focusing on regions which have historically been labeled as polar, Greenland properly demonstrates the evident change over the past two centuries. With the development of industrialization and extensive population growth, climate change has significantly risen over the past few decades.
This visualization was created in Tableau using our Global Land Temperature by Country dataset. It portrays the summer temperature in Greenland from 1820 to 2020.
This rise, as presented in our chart, has reached all time highs recently. Taking into consideration the lack of advocacy and representation directed towards this environmental problem, low temperatures like that of Greenland, which have historically lied below the negative three degrees celsius mark, no longer occur. A primary reason towards this lack of activism is the frequency in which natural disasters have occurred. Within this past decade, there has been a significant increase in the occurrence of these events, beginning to stem fear in society and act as a reality check regarding the danger of rising temperatures. Visual presentations such as these graphs aid in projecting future outcomes if no action is taken towards reducing the rapid increase in global temperatures.
To visualize the temperature spike in recent decades, refer to the following graph.
This scatter plot was created in R using the ggplot package and the Global Land Temperature by Country dataset. It depicts the increase in Greenland’s summer temperatures, from 1950 to 2020.
Interpreting this line chart, the 1970’s decade appears to be the time frame in which temperature negatively took a toll. Temperatures below the negative three degrees celsius mark have no longer existed which depicts the drastic effects planet earth has begun to experience. Although the range of temperatures has remained relatively constant, there has been a shift that has minimized this span by nearly half the value. Not only does this shift in temperature affect the planet, but there are also effects that begin to plague society such as mental health and well being. While rising temperature may seem like there are sunny days ahead, this concept extends way beyond that idea into discussions regarding life expectancy or economic disruptions. As temperatures in polar regions continue to rise, more ice will melt and our sea levels will continue to rise at alarming rates.