Global temperature 2 degrees higher than in pre-industrial times
For the first time since records began, the global average daily temperature was more than two degrees above pre-industrial levels. The EU climate change service Copernicus confirmed on Tuesday that, according to preliminary data, the temperature on November 17 exceeded the average for the period from 1850 to 1900 by 2.06 degrees for that day.
Compared to the period from 1991 to 2020, the temperature for the day was 1.17 degrees higher. At the same time, Copernicus emphasized: "It is important to clarify that this is not a violation of the Paris Agreement, but underlines our proximity to the internationally agreed limits."
Ideal limit of 1.5 degrees
At the 2015 World Climate Conference in Paris, countries around the world agreed to limit global warming to below 2 degrees, or even 1.5 degrees if possible. This involves longer-term values and not individual days, months or years. The background to the decision is the fatal consequences of global warming, such as increasingly frequent and severe storms, droughts, floods and forest fires. The past few months have seen a series of record temperatures, and experts predict that 2023 will be the warmest year globally since records began. According to Copernicus, the average temperature at the end of October was 1.43 degrees above the pre-industrial average.
The value from November 17 is the largest deviation to date from the estimated average for a day in pre-industrial times - and not the highest absolute temperature, according to Copernicus, which is based in Reading, England. "The record for the warmest day (and month) is still in July this year, as significantly higher temperatures were observed in the northern summer." At the same time, it said: "As we approach the 1.5 degree limit set out in the Paris Agreement, we expect to see increasing frequency of temperature anomalies exceeding the 1.5 and 2 degree limits compared to pre-industrial levels in the coming months and years."
The Copernicus Director at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), Carlo Buontempo, said: "Global temperature records are being broken with alarming regularity." Exceeding the limit values of 1.5 and 2 degrees was to be expected due to global warming, but nevertheless had alarming consequences, said Buontempo around a week and a half before the start of the COP 28 world climate conference in Dubai.
- The increasing global temperature, currently standing at 2 degrees higher than pre-industrial levels, is a significant concern in the field of climate science.
- Adhering to the Paris Agreement's ideal limit of 1.5 degrees warming is crucial in climate science, as surpassing this level could lead to more frequent and severe climate anomalies.
Source: www.dpa.com
