Earth marks a full year above the 1.5-degree warming threshold
For twelve straight months, global temperatures ran more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, scientists reported.
The planet passed a sobering milestone this year, as scientists reported that global temperatures had remained more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for twelve consecutive months, the first time such a stretch had been recorded.
The 1.5-degree figure holds special significance because nations agreed in the Paris accord to try to limit long-term warming to that level, beyond which the risks of severe and irreversible climate impacts rise sharply. A single year, or even twelve months, above the threshold does not mean the long-term goal has been breached, which is measured over decades, but scientists warned it was an unmistakable sign of how close the world is edging.
The record warmth, driven by the continued accumulation of greenhouse gases and boosted by the El Niño pattern, manifested in extreme heat, drought, intense storms and record ocean temperatures around the globe.
Climate scientists stressed that the milestone should serve as a wake-up call rather than a declaration of defeat. Limiting warming as close to 1.5 degrees as possible, they said, remained both vital and achievable, but only with rapid and deep cuts in emissions.
The report underscored the narrowing window for action. Every fraction of a degree of additional warming, researchers emphasised, translates into more dangerous extremes, making the pace of emissions cuts in the coming years decisive for the kind of climate future the world will face.