When did Earth cross the 2-degree warming limit?
A scientist shared data showing that on 17th November 2023, Earth's average temperature was over 2 degrees Celsius higher than the levels before industrialisation for the first time. Thankfully, this was only a temporary increase.
The data said that the temperatures worldwide were 1.17 degrees higher than the 1991-2020 levels on that day, making it the warmest November 17th on record. However, the temperature was 2.07 degrees warmer than pre-industrial times.
How problematic is this increase?
The Earth's temperature changed recently, but it doesn't mean it will always stay that way. It also doesn’t indicate that attempts to reduce global warming have failed. Temperatures must stay higher than 2 degrees Celsius for a long time before scientists say it has permanently broken the limit.
But it's a sign that our planet is slowly getting warmer. The world is moving towards a time when it will be hard to control and fix the problems caused by climate change.
The news came out when the last 12 months were the hottest ever, and there were many extreme weather events, like fires in Hawaii and floods in Northern Africa.
What is the 2-degree Celsius limit?
It is a target set to limit the increase in Earth’s temperature. This limit is a goal under the Paris Agreement. It is an international climate change treaty that was adopted in 2015 and came into effect in 2016.
Its main goal is to limit global average temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. It also aims to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Important leaders say it's crucial to keep the Earth from getting too warm because if it goes past the 1.5 degrees Celsius mark, there could be big problems like more droughts, heatwaves, etc. You can read more about climate change in this article.
