The global average temperature briefly exceeded a critical threshold of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time last Friday, November 17th, drawing attention to the unprecedented global warming that scientists are warning about irreversible and catastrophic effects on the planet.
According to data from Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) The European Unionwere the average temperatures on Earth that day 2.06 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial average. Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, said that according to the agency’s best estimate, this is the first time that the 2 degrees Celsius limit has been exceeded. Last Friday’s numbers are based on preliminary data.
The global average temperature on November 17th was also 1.17 degrees Celsius above normal compared to a 30-year reference period from 1991 to 2020, Burgess added.
He Paris Agreement 2015The agreement, signed by world leaders, agreed to work to limit the rise in global temperatures 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, with an increase of 1.5 degrees set as the preferred limit. Scientists are now warning that the goal is being missed will have catastrophic effects on the planet, including extreme weather conditions, significant sea level rise and major droughts. Friday’s numbers do not mean that the Paris Agreement has failed, because that is just the case a unique and short event. But it could serve as a strong warning signal about how quickly temperatures are rising.
Important background
C3S made the announcement earlier this month 2023 will almost certainly be the warmest year on record. The global average temperature from January to October this year is the highest on record: 0.10 degrees Celsius more than the hottest calendar year to date, 2016. After combining your data with the historical data of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change At the United Nations, the C3S said it had determined that 2023 would be “the warmest year in the last 125,000 years.” The EU agency’s scientists were particularly concerned about how much higher global temperatures were in 2023 compared to a 30-year reference period from 1991 to 2020.
What is to be considered?
The next major global climate summit COP28starts next week in Dubai. The record numbers for 2023 are likely to be a central point of discussion.
*Reporting by Siladitya Ray
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