How Does an Average Increase of 1.5 Degrees Change the Climate?

One of the expressions we hear most frequently about climate change is that ‘average temperatures will increase by 1.5 degrees’. 1.5 degrees doesn’t sound like much, does it? So why all the fanfare, why is the 1.5 degree rise in average temperature so critical?

Climate change, climate crisis, global warming… We have heard these terms frequently in recent years. In the news, on social media chances of encountering something about it every day quite high.

So what does this news say? Globally average temperature It will increase by 1.5 degrees by 2030, this is our irreversible limit and everything will get worse and worse. Forest fires, deadly heat waves, floods, flooded cities… Wait a minute… Will only 1.5 degrees increase cause these? A temperature increase of 1.5 degrees is a situation that is experienced even on a daily basis, how will it shake the world so much?

It has occurred to everyone at least once…

“Seriously, so many people are clamoring for a 1.5-degree temperature rise? What is 1.5 degrees? Here’s the proof, there is no such thing as a climate crisis!

Anyone who takes a superficial view of the subject may have thought of a sentence like the one above. because Average temperature rise of 1.5 degrees The thought that it could cause catastrophes may sound a bit strange. But the situation is actually not like that at all. Let’s explain one by one.

To take a closer look at how things are, we first need to focus on one word: ‘average’

The expression ‘average temperature rise’ used in climate crisis studies rightly confuses those who do not know what it means and makes them ask the above-mentioned questions. So what does this mean? ‘average temperature rise’?

In fact, the word ‘average’ gives us everything we need to understand here. This expression used in relation to the climate crisis, worldwide average temperature of a year it states. That is, it does not mean that temperatures around the world have increased by only 1.5 degrees, or that there has been an increase of 1.5 degrees in a given day-region.

The climate crisis does not affect all parts of the world at the same rate. While significant increases in temperatures occur in some regions, in some areas before storms like never beforecausing cold waves.

For example, this 1.5 degree increase average of 3 degrees in middle latitudes. will show itself. In colder latitudes, on the coldest night An average increase of 1.5 degrees is yourself 4.5 degrees will show an increase.

It is necessary to avoid the following misconception; at temperatures Increases that don’t sound high like 1.2,3 degrees are already important. Because these little changes on many issues such as humidity, precipitation, etc. it affects. Even a small jolt in the balance has big consequences.

“How come the temperatures aren’t rising everywhere? Then global warming is not real!”

Another question mark about the climate crisis and global warming starts here. Since the temperatures do not rise much all over the world, even stronger storms and floods are experienced in some places, So global warming isn’t real?

One of the most common misconceptions about the climate crisis is the idea that this crisis is affecting air temperatures in the same degree and in all parts of the world. However, it is not. As we said above, every region of the world is affected differently. We have seen the effects of this in our country as well.

Especially last year with extreme heat and forest fires while fighting With the flood disaster in the Black Sea We’re alone. During the winter season, severe snowstorms were experienced in many regions that have not been experienced for years, and cities were left without electricity.

None of this is accidental; it’s all about the climate crisis. But To better understand the subject Let’s take a look at exactly what climate change is.

To clear up the confusion: what exactly is climate change, what does it mean?

Climate change refers to unstable and long-term changes in climate all over the world. Although it has become an agenda that is spoken among the public in recent years, it is widely accepted by scientists. for more than 30 years this issue is being investigated and its effects are calculated. So it’s not a new issue.

So what happened that the climate started to ‘change’? This is where the human factor comes into play. From the late 1800sWith the industrial revolution and all the ‘developments’ that followed, the use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil has increased.

Fossil fuels act as a blanket that surrounds the Earth, trapping the Sun’s heat and raising temperatures. greenhouse gas emissions started to produce. In addition, when various factors such as the increasing world population and the continuous increase in the amount of energy used, the decrease of forests in the world with urbanization, and the fact that animal husbandry became an industry, the warming accelerated and its effect increased.

With the effect of warming, the humidity in the atmosphere began to increase. This too precipitation has disturbed the balance. Events such as more hurricanes and heavy rainfall began to occur. In other words, while the warming scorched some parts of the world, on the other hand, harsher ‘rainfalls’ and extreme cold weather events emerged in different regions with the effect of the same warming.

To better understand the issue, let’s take a look at the disasters in 2021;

  • In February 2021, a major event in Texas, USA cold wave and blizzard it happened. The people, who struggled with power cuts for days, had great difficulty because their houses and necessary equipment were not suitable for this type of climate. deaths occurred. In our country, extreme rains and cold air waves were effective in the winter months in 2021. Similar power outage problems were experienced in Turkey.
  • Hundreds in China, Sudan and Europe by 2021 flood disasters that cause death it happened. Habitats were damaged in these floods caused by excessive rainfall, and the effects continued for weeks. A similar chain of flood disasters took place in our country. Extreme weather conditions resulted in deaths in many provinces in the Black Sea region.
  • July 2021, hottest month on record it happened. Record temperatures were recorded in the USA, Canada and Europe. Welded to extreme heat deaths occurred. Temperatures rose to 54 degrees in some areas.
  • Forest fires have created gruesome sights in different corners of the world in 2021. Many countries such as Italy, Canada, India, Pakistan, USA, Australia in 2021 with big forest fires while fighting The biggest fires took place in our country.
  • Hurricanes are especially brought life to a standstill in the USA. While the hurricanes, which caused billions of dollars of damage, are among the biggest hurricanes in history. deaths occurred.

Unfortunately, we will feel the effects of climate change more and more every year. To prevent this, expertsbelieves that the ‘average temperature’ rise should be stopped at 1.5 degrees. The reason for this is that they have calculated how much the effects will increase exponentially from the moment the average temperature increase reaches 2 and then higher temperatures.

Although governments and giant companies all over the world are trying to reduce their carbon footprints and to prevent climate change Although they have announced all kinds of measures, research results from scientists show that the effects of the crisis are increasing and progressing faster than expected.

Sources: climate.nasa.gov, npr.org, Reuters, Onay.org, climaterealityproject.org, United Nations, BBC, yaleclimateconnections.org, EU Science Hub

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