For the first time last year, the brutal climate crisis pushed the annual global temperature beyond the internationally agreed 1.5 degrees Celsius limit set by the Paris agreement, causing misery to millions of people across the globe.
The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service highlighted in its recent data that the average temperature last year is 1.6 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This is a jump of 0.1 degree Celsius from the year before – also a record hot year.
The heating seen in recent years in different countries on the planet is primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The damage is going to continue to escalate until coal, oil and gas are replaced. But there is still time to ensure things are brought under control.
The 2015 Paris agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius is measured over a long term such as 10-20 years. Therefore, a single year crossing that target does not mean the level has been missed. But it does reflect that climate change continues to intensify.
