2 days above 2 degrees

Written By Peter Allan

Photo Roxanne Desgagnés —Unsplash

 

By Chris Hatch

The Earth flicked briefly into the terrible twos this month. After crossing the symbolic threshold of 1.5 C through September, the global thermometer spiked above the totemic 2 C for two days in November.

There’s nothing magic about round numbers but that one’s a doozy. For more than a decade, world leaders have solemnly pledged to keep temperatures below 2 C — a number that’s been recognized since the 1970s as the outer limit of “dangerous” interference with the climate system. Many countries, notably those most vulnerable, argue 2 C is much too high, and so in Paris, the world agreed to keep the heat “well below 2 C” and to try to stay below 1.5 C.

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Peter Allan
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