The European observatory Copernicus recently revealed an alarming fact: for the first time, the global average temperature has exceeded pre-industrial levels by more than 2°C. This increase, recorded on November 17, 2023, marks a significant breach of the limit set by the Paris Agreement.
Copernicus facts and figures
The data show an average temperature of 2.07°C above the average for the pre-industrial era (1850-1900). Samantha Burgess, deputy head of Copernicus’ Climate Change Service (C3S), communicated this worrying discovery via the X platform, the heir to Twitter.
The Paris Agreement and the Climate Goals
The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015 at COP21, aims to limit the rise in global average temperature to well below 2°C, with an ideal target of 1.5°C. However, this latest measurement shows a very different and more alarming reality.
IPCC Special Report on Global Warming
According to a 2018 special report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global warming is defined over a 30-year period compared to 1850-1900. Today’s climate is about 1.2°C warmer than this reference period.
Record temperatures in 2023 and their consequences
The period from June to October 2023 has already set records as the hottest on record, according to Copernicus. October 2023 was 1.7°C warmer than the average for this month since 1850.
These temperature rises have catastrophic consequences: droughts leading to famine, devastating wildfires and stronger hurricanes. These extreme weather phenomena will serve as a backdrop for the 28th United Nations Climate Conference, scheduled to take place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12.
The recent rise in global temperature above the Paris Agreement threshold is raising serious concerns. This overshoot, which coincides with increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters, highlights the urgent need for concrete, coordinated action to combat climate change.
