Earth Exceeds the 2°C Threshold for the First Time ⋆ The Costa Rica News

Very hot? The Earth’s temperature exceeded 2 °C above pre-industrial levels for 2 consecutive days, on November 17 and 18, 2023, according to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Monitoring Service, a European Union program responsible for detecting anomalies in the planet’s environment.

What does it mean to cross 2°C?

The 2 °C temperature limit had been warned by the Paris Agreement as a value that, if maintained for a prolonged period of time, would imply irreparable and extreme damage to the planet, worse than what could happen if it exceeded 1 .5°C. For example, the heat in warm seasons would be more extreme and more flooding would occur worldwide.

It should be noted that a frequent trend with these temperature levels is required for the most serious effects—and to violate the 2015 international treaty in which various countries committed not to cross the fence—so climate change experts still They maintain that something can be done about it.

“While exceeding the threshold for several days does not mean that we have failed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, the more often we exceed this threshold, the more serious the cumulative effects will be,” said the director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Worrying figures

The anomalies warn that this month would be the warmest November in recorded history. Meanwhile, on Friday the 17th, the planet’s temperature reached an extra 2.07 °C and the next day it reached 2.06 °C.

Likewise, Copernicus has warned that 2023 will be the hottest year, according to the information to date. It is worth remembering that in October the temperatures of the pre-industrial era were 1.7 °C above.

Additionally, in August of this year, NASA reported that sea temperatures were 3°C warmer than normal. According to the space entity, this would have been a product of the El Niño phenomenon added to global warming.

The new data comes shortly before the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP 28, which will begin on Thursday, November 30 and end on December 12.

Given the panorama, the UN published the report on the 2023 emissions gap, titled ‘Broken record’, which highlights the insufficient actions of countries to reduce carbon emissions.