The global temperature has risen by 1.5º Celsius since the beginning of industrial times, a level cited by the 2016 Paris Climate Accords as a critical benchmark in the fight against the damage caused by climate change, the Washington Post reports.
The pre-industrial temperature, determined from an average calculated temperature on Earth between 1850 and 1900, was exceeded in 2023 up 1.52º C, or 2.74º F, partly driven by the El Niño pattern. Scientists say if temperatures increase 2º C, damage to coral reefs, reduction of Arctic ice formations, and increased extreme heat waves will be irreparable; the goal of the 2016 Paris Accords was to try to curb the global temperature increase to a maximum of 1.5º C to minimize damage. We’ve failed at that goal.
While the increase in 2023 was a one-year spike due to El Niño, climatologists say the globe is destined to surpass that increase with current pollution output. The Post ran 1,200 separate models to see if the increase was unavoidable; only four showed temperatures leveling or dropping using feasible technology.