As climate and Earth scientists, we are acutely aware that action on climate change is desperately needed. It is now almost certain that 2024 will not only be the warmest year ever recorded, but also the first year that will be 1.5°C warmer than pre-industrial levels.
The Paris climate agreement pledged to “pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C”, but that now looks to be a forlorn hope. The effects of climate change increase with the level of global warming, such that every 0.1°C adds to the suffering of those most vulnerable. As recent devastating storms in Spain have shown, those people may be much closer to home than many had assumed.
