May marks 12th straight month of ‘record-high’ global temperatures
Brussels, June 6: Last month was the warmest May on record globally, marking the 12th consecutive month of record-high global average temperatures, the European Union’s (EU) climate monitoring network has said.
Data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) revealed that the global average surface air temperature for May 2024 was 0.65 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, Xinhua news agency reported.
“It is shocking but not surprising that we have reached this 12-month streak,” C3S Director Carlo Buontempo said in a statement on Wednesday.
He pointed out that although this sequence of record-breaking months will eventually end, the overall pattern of climate change continues, with no signs of reversal in sight.
The global average temperature for May 2024 was 1.52 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average, marking the 11th consecutive month at or above 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to C3S data.
Wednesday’s data also showed that the global average temperature for the past 12 months has been the highest on record, standing at 0.75 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average and 1.63 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average. (IANS)
Dating app being in Japan to encourage marriage, childbirth
TOKYO, June 6: Called “Tokyo Futari Story”, the city hall’s new initiative is just that: An effort to create couples, “futari”, in a country where it is increasingly common to be “hitori”, or alone.
While a site offering counsel and general information for potential lovebirds is online, a dating app is also in development. City hall hopes to offer it later this year, accessible through phone or web, a city official said on Thursday.
Details were still undecided. City Hall declined to comment on Japanese media reports that said the app will require a confirmation of identity, such as a driver’s license, your tax records to prove income and a signed form that says you are ready to get married.
Marriage is on the decline in Japan as the country’s birth rate fell to an all-time low, according to health ministry data Wednesday. Last year there were 474,717 marriages, down from 504,930 in 2022 while births totalled 727,277, down from 770,759.
The reports also said the app may ask for your height, job and education but the official denied anything was decided.
On the national level, the government has been trying to solve a serious labour shortage by promising cash payments for families with children and supporting child-care facilities. It’s also relaxed immigration policy over the years to encourage an influx of foreign workers.
During the so-called “baby boom” era of the 1970s, Japan recorded more than 2 million births a year. Like many young adults around the world today, fewer Japanese are interested in old-style marriage or having children.
There are concerns that Japanese workplace norms tend to lead to extremely long hours and rarely meeting people outside work. Some say raising children is expensive. (PTI)