Scientists have warned that last year’s record-breaking temperatures may indicate that the world is entering a new phase of global warming, with temperatures potentially exceeding 1.5°C—an unprecedented scenario for humanity.
According to a global news agency report, the 2015 Paris Agreement aimed to limit global warming to 1.5°C. However, even this seemingly small increase has already had significant impacts on both humans and the environment.
Research indicates that the continuous rise in temperature poses serious risks, including extreme heatwaves, devastating floods, hurricanes, rising sea levels, and the loss of plant and animal species.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) noted that 2024 witnessed an exceptional temperature increase, surpassing the 1.5°C threshold. While a single year crossing this limit does not technically violate the Paris Agreement, scientists emphasize that the world has already warmed by approximately 1.3°C—hotter than any period in the past 125,000 years.
A research team from Germany and Austria used observational data and computer modeling to determine whether this one-year breach of 1.5°C serves as an early warning. They found that when a temperature milestone is crossed for the first time, similar conditions typically persist for two decades.
If 2024 officially marks the first year to exceed 1.5°C, researchers suggest that Earth has already entered a 20-year period of sustained warming beyond this threshold. They warn that without immediate and aggressive cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, the formal breach of the Paris Agreement target could occur within the next decade.
However, scientists stress that surpassing 1.5°C should not lead to fear or despair but should instead serve as a call to action.
