What would happen if Earth's temperature rose by 2 °C?
What would happen if Earth's temperature rose by 2 °C?
Overview of the impact on Earth of an increase in global average temperature.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
In 2015, leaders from many countries adopted an international climate treaty known as the Paris Agreement to prevent global average temperatures from increasing to more than 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-Industrial Revolution temperature benchmark.
Some people think that we should be trying to keep warming below 1.5 degrees. But how much difference can half a degree really make, you’ll say?
What if Earth’s climate warmed up to 2 °C above that pre-Industrial benchmark overnight?
If the global average temperature rises by 1.5 degrees, the probability of an ice-free Arctic summer in any given year is about 3 percent.
Ice near the poles continues to melt at 2 degrees of warming, adding enough water into the oceans to cause sea levels to rise by 48 centimeters by the year 2100.
Rainfall, like the layer of peanut butter on a PB&J, is best when it’s evenly distributed. The frequency of extreme rainfall events at 1.5 degrees Celsius is expected to have increased by 17 percent.
Droughts will last 2 months on average - about as long as it took the Mayflower to sail to America.
Reduced crop production and other results of extreme weather patterns will contribute to an 8 percent drop in global GDP.
Climate change is already affecting natural areas which make up the habitat of countless species of animals.
So, there is a difference, right? Let’s see what will happen if we push the temperature past the goal limits set by the Paris Agreement.
For example, at plus 3 degrees, there is a 63% chance that the Arctic will be ice-free in any given summer.
At plus 3 degrees, sea levels rise more than 56 cm. At plus 4, sea levels could rise about six and a half feet - nearly the height of most doorways, taller than celebrities like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and James Harden, and more than high enough to drown much of Miami, Shanghai, Osaka, and Egypt’s Nile delta.
At plus 3 degrees, droughts will last an average of 10 months - same amount of time as from New Year’s to Halloween.
At plus 4.5 degrees, 44 percent of all animals with backbones would suffer devastating population losses as more than half of their home range is lost. Some of these species even die out completely.
What can we do to keep warming under control?
Educate yourself and others.
Encourage leaders in governments to adopt climate goals.
Write letters to elected officials. Attend town halls. Vote for leaders who “get it.”
These efforts may feel small, but remember that small changes can make a big difference.
Some people think that we should be trying to keep warming below 1.5 degrees. But how much difference can half a degree really make, you’ll say?
What if Earth’s climate warmed up to 2 °C above that pre-Industrial benchmark overnight?
If the global average temperature rises by 1.5 degrees, the probability of an ice-free Arctic summer in any given year is about 3 percent.
Ice near the poles continues to melt at 2 degrees of warming, adding enough water into the oceans to cause sea levels to rise by 48 centimeters by the year 2100.
Rainfall, like the layer of peanut butter on a PB&J, is best when it’s evenly distributed. The frequency of extreme rainfall events at 1.5 degrees Celsius is expected to have increased by 17 percent.
Droughts will last 2 months on average - about as long as it took the Mayflower to sail to America.
Reduced crop production and other results of extreme weather patterns will contribute to an 8 percent drop in global GDP.
Climate change is already affecting natural areas which make up the habitat of countless species of animals.
So, there is a difference, right? Let’s see what will happen if we push the temperature past the goal limits set by the Paris Agreement.
For example, at plus 3 degrees, there is a 63% chance that the Arctic will be ice-free in any given summer.
At plus 3 degrees, sea levels rise more than 56 cm. At plus 4, sea levels could rise about six and a half feet - nearly the height of most doorways, taller than celebrities like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and James Harden, and more than high enough to drown much of Miami, Shanghai, Osaka, and Egypt’s Nile delta.
At plus 3 degrees, droughts will last an average of 10 months - same amount of time as from New Year’s to Halloween.
At plus 4.5 degrees, 44 percent of all animals with backbones would suffer devastating population losses as more than half of their home range is lost. Some of these species even die out completely.
What can we do to keep warming under control?
Educate yourself and others.
Encourage leaders in governments to adopt climate goals.
Write letters to elected officials. Attend town halls. Vote for leaders who “get it.”
These efforts may feel small, but remember that small changes can make a big difference.