Tuesday, 20 May 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > Climate Questions: Why do small degrees of warming matter?
World

Climate Questions: Why do small degrees of warming matter?

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
Climate Questions: Why do small degrees of warming matter?
SHARE

On a thermometer, a tenth of a degree seems tiny, barely noticeable. But small changes in average temperature can reverberate in a global climate to turn into big disasters as weather gets wilder and more extreme in a warmer world.

In 2015, countries around the world agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and pursue a goal of curbing warming to 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) as part of the Paris Agreement.

Two degrees of difference might not be noticeable if you’re gauging the weather outside, but for global average temperatures, these small numbers make a big difference.

“Every tenth of a degree matters,” is a phrase that climate scientists around the world keep repeating.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of an ongoing series answering some of the most fundamental questions around climate change, the science behind it, the effects of a warming planet and how the world is addressing it.

___

The Earth has already warmed at least 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, giving the world around 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.7 Fahrenheit) of more heating before passing the goal and suffering even more catastrophic climate change events, scientists have said.

These tenths of a degree are a big deal because the temperatures represent a global average of warming. Some parts of the world, especially land mass and northern latitudes like the Arctic have already warmed more than the 1.1 Celsius average and have far surpassed 1.5 Celsius, according to estimates.

It’s helpful to look at temperatures like a bell curve, rather than just the average which doesn’t reveal “hidden extremes,” said Princeton University climate scientist Gabe Vecchi.

“On the far end where the bell shape is very narrow, that is telling you the odds of very extreme events,” he said. “If you have a slight shift of the average of the peak of that bell to the warming direction, what that results in is a substantial decrease in the odds of extremely cold temperatures and a substantial increase in the odds of extremely warm temperatures.”

It’s a similar picture with sea level rise, where the average obscures how some places are seeing much higher sea level increases than others, he said.

Most nations — including the world’s two largest emitters, the U.S. and China — aren’t on track to limit warming to 1.5 Celsius or even 2 Celsius, according to scientists and experts who track global action on climate change, despite promises to cut their emissions to “net zero”.

If temperatures increase by about 2 more degrees Celsius by the end of the century, the world will experience five times the floods, storms, drought and heat waves, according to estimates by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“All bets are off” when it comes to how climate systems will respond to more warming, warned Brown University climate scientist Kim Cobb. The threat of some irreversible changes and feedback loops that amplify warming, such as the thawing of permafrost that traps massive amounts of greenhouse gas, could trigger even more heating.

“It’s just staggering to think about how many people will be under immediate threat of climate-related extremes in a two degree world,” Cobb said.

___

Follow AP’s climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

___

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article ‘They Forgot About Us’: Inside the Wait for Refugee Status ‘They Forgot About Us’: Inside the Wait for Refugee Status
Next Article UPDATE 2-Putin raises Russian war footing, declares martial law in occupied Ukraine regions UPDATE 2-Putin raises Russian war footing, declares martial law in occupied Ukraine regions

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

White Sox Supervisor Reveals What The Crew Will Deal with This Offseason

(Picture by Rob Carr/Getty Photographs)   The Chicago White Sox completed one of many worst…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Meryl Streep and Martin Quick Arrive in Identical Automobile to ‘SNL’ Filming

Meryl Streep & Martin Quick Simply One other Buddy Date ... Arrive to 'SNL' Collectively…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Patti LuPone Tells Broadway Theatergoers to ‘Get the F— Out’ for Not Wearing Masks Properly

Patti LuPone called out a pair of Broadway attendees on Tuesday (May 10) after they…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

24 Brilliant Baking Recipes to Change Your Kitchen Game

A great baking recipe can seem like wizardry. A handful of unassuming pantry staples are…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

Australia information dwell: morning commuters advised to keep away from Sydney trains as delays proceed; report flood hits Taree
World

Australia information dwell: morning commuters advised to keep away from Sydney trains as delays proceed; report flood hits Taree

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
ABC and SBS gender pay gaps revealed as public sector wage information launched for the primary time
World

ABC and SBS gender pay gaps revealed as public sector wage information launched for the primary time

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
UK suspends commerce talks with Israel and assaults ‘repellant’ extremism
World

UK suspends commerce talks with Israel and assaults ‘repellant’ extremism

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Senior Liberals concern Coalition cut up might harm occasion for years however others see silver lining
World

Senior Liberals concern Coalition cut up might harm occasion for years however others see silver lining

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?