3.
Current reality
At the time of writing, the Earth has just recorded thirteen consecutive months of record temperatures 8 . Ocean temperatures are rising, threatening devastating sea level rises 9 . The Antarctic ice caps are melting faster than ever 10 . We’re seeing more frequent and intense weather events - floods, droughts, wildfires, storms and hurricanes ¹¹ . It’s no coincidence that CO2e emissions have reached record highs ¹² . Global carbon dioxide emissions from energy reached a new high in 2023, despite a decline in fossil fuel use in advanced economies like the EU and the US, according to the latest report from the International Energy Agency ¹³ . Emissions climbed to a record 37.4 billion tonnes, driven by droughts and rising energy demand, marking a 1.1 per cent increase - 410 million tonnes - compared to the previous year. This trend starkly contrasts with the urgent need to reduce emissions by nearly 45 per cent by 2030 to keep long-term global warming below 1.5°C since the pre-industrial era. This isn’t just a target - it’s a strict limit. Each year, human activities release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than natural processes can absorb, leading to a steady increase in atmospheric CO2 levels. In 2023, the global average carbon dioxide concentration reached a record high of 419.3 parts per million (PPM) ¹⁴ . Today, that number has climbed even further to 422.89 PPM ¹⁵ . Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have surged by 50% since before the Industrial Revolution. Over the past 60 years, the annual increase in CO2 has been around 100 times faster than the natural rises seen at the end of the last ice age, 11,000 to 17,000 years ago ¹⁶ . While Earth’s climate has always been dynamic, the speed and scale of current changes are unmatched in human history.
The climate stripes were created by Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading in 2018.They show clearly and vividly how global average temperatures have risen over nearly two centuries.
3
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software