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In 2015, as I was getting ready to leave Australia after spending four years doing my PhD there, we were asked to share why we cared about reaching a deal to limit global warming. Just like other students, I shared a picture of myself as I was completing the Overland Track in Tasmania. #EarhtToParis, read the hashtag.
In 2024, the world crossed a line that climate scientists have been watching for years: the first full calendar year with global temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
It was the hottest year on record, fueled by human-caused climate change and a strong El Niño. But what does that really mean? Is this just another record-breaker, or have we stepped into a new climate reality?
A new study in Nature Climate Change suggests that 2024 might be more than just a hot year; it could be a warning that we've officially entered a long-term phase of 1.5°C warming.
And if we use history as a guide, which, as a paleontologist, I've been trained to do, that means we should expect some serious changes ahead.
But how did scientists figure this out?
The researchers behind the study took a deep dive into historical climate data and computer models, looking at past warming patterns. To do so, they examined when previous temperature milestones - like 0.6°C, 0.7°C, or 1.0°C - were first reached in a single year and compared that to when the world settled into a longer-term average at those levels.
Read the full story in the link below |
