Shock climate change figures show temperature in Sheffield could rise by 5.4 degrees in next 80 years

Worst case scenario statistics reveal that by 2100, the average July temperature in Sheffield could be 20.4C – an increase of 5.4 degrees from the figure in 1900.

And temperatures in January would also rocket by as much as 4.7 degrees to an average of 7.2, hugely up on the 1900 figure.

The figures are classed as aworst-case scenario in which emissions continue unchecked throughout the 21st century.

Globally, it could lead to a temperature rise of between nearly 3 and 5C by 2100.

Environmental campaigners, including leading television naturalist Sir David Attenborough have said urgent action is needed immediately to prevent further climate catastrophes such as drought, heatwaves, bushfires, rising sea levels, floods and melting ice caps, making it difficult to grow crops relied on across the globe.

The past decade was the hottest on record – and 2019 was the second-warmest year ever, just shy of the record set in 2016.

Analysis by the NASA showed that global average surface temperatures last year were nearly 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average from the middle of last century, caused in large part by emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from the burning of fossil fuels.

That much warming means the world is far from meeting goals set to combat climate change.

“These trends are the footprints of human activity stomping on the atmosphere,” said Gavin A. Schmidt, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, which conducted the NASA analysis. “We know that this has been driven by human activities.”

Scientists have warned we must limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

A best-case scenario for Sheffield says that if greenhouse gases are reduced in the decades ahead, Sheffield could see temperature rises of +2.1c in January and July, giving average temperatures of 4.7c and 17.1c respectively.

That would help keep the global temperature rise below 2C but requires stringent climate policies to limit emissions.