"In order to slow planetary heating caused by burning oil, coal and gas, and linked to devastating storms, flooding, drought and heat waves, countries set one number as the holy grail. They agreed to try limit the increase in the global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius (which translates to 2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Should they fail that target, they pledged to cap the increase at a maximum of 2C (3.6F)."
"What does 1.5 degrees Celsius mean? The 1.5 number is not random. Striving to prevent temperatures from rising above that limit had clear reasons. The hotter the world gets, the more exposed people become to deadly heat, nations to sea-level rise and ecosystems to collapse. For instance, the risk of irreversible losses of marine and coastal ecosystems is much higher once 1.5C is surpassed."
Countries agreed under the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, with a fallback cap of 2°C. Small differences between those limits matter because higher temperatures increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, worsen food and water insecurity, raise insurance costs, drive migration, and threaten human health. Exceeding 1.5°C substantially raises the risk of irreversible losses of marine and coastal ecosystems. Despite the targets, most nations have continued burning fossil fuels and emitting CO2, and scientific analyses estimate global temperatures have risen about 0.3°C since 2015.
Read at www.dw.com
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