Global Warming Surpasses 1.5 Degrees Celsius for First Time on Record
New data shows that global warming has surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius over the past 12 months, breaching a critical threshold that could have severe consequences for life on Earth.
Record-breaking Warming
According to data from Copernicus, global warming in the past year was 1.52 degrees hotter on average than temperatures before industrialization. This was boosted by the hottest January on record, which was 1.66 degrees warmer than the average January temperature in pre-industrial times.
The Paris Agreement, signed by most of the world's nations in 2015, aimed to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, with a target of 1.5 degrees. However, the 12-month record shows that the world is rapidly approaching these limits.
The Urgency for Emissions Cuts
Matt Patterson, a postdoctoral research assistant at the University of Oxford, emphasized that exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius in a single year highlights the urgent need for deep emissions cuts to combat dangerous climate change.
Heat records on land and sea have been continuously broken over the past year, with the last eight months being the hottest on record. In addition, the average global sea surface temperature for January was the hottest on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2016.
According to Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of Copernicus, rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are crucial to prevent further temperature increases.
Impact of Climate Crisis and El Niño
The climate crisis, fueled by human activities such as burning coal, oil, and gas, is the primary driver of global warming. Additionally, the recent presence of El Niño, a natural climate pattern originating in the Pacific Ocean, has further intensified temperatures worldwide.
Scientists warn that extreme weather events, already exacerbated by long-term global warming, are now being intensified by the combination of El Niño. The destructive power of this twin threat is evident in the devastating wildfires in Chile, which have claimed numerous lives and destroyed entire neighborhoods.
The storms in California have also been affected by this combination, resulting in increased rainfall and heightened destructive capabilities.
