Researchers from the United Kingdom revealed that worldwide temperatures are rising halfway to the global warming threshold as the planet's global mean temperature continues to increase due to human activity.
Experts from UK's Met Office said that the average global temperature is set to reach 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit or 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time. Many scientists say that the warming limit of 2 degrees Celsius should not be surpassed because exceeding it will result to the most severe effects of global warming such as floods, droughts and rising sea levels.
In a report, the Met Office explained that they examined data collected during January to September this year and found that the 2015 global mean temperature was at 1.02 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. They said data suggests that 2016 will be similarly warm, and that warming will continue in a long period of time.
"We've had similar natural events in the past, yet this is the first time we're set to reach the 1 degree Celsius marker and it's clear that it is human influence driving our modern climate into uncharted territory," said Met Office Hadley Centre Director Stephen Belcher.
Belcher said researchers have witnessed a strong El Niño develop in the Tropical Pacific, and this phenomenon will have an impact on global mean temperature.
Head of Climate Monitoring and Attribution Peter Stott said it doesn't necessarily mean that every year beginning this year will be one degree higher than pre-industrial levels because natural variability will still be a factor in determining temperature in a year.
However, he said that as the world continues to warm, scientists expect to see more years passing the 1 degree marker until it becomes the norm.
Scientists meanwhile estimate that up to 2,900 gigatons of carbon dioxide can be emitted to have a 66 percent chance of limiting global mean temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius. The time it takes for greenhouse gases to change our climate system influences the present and future changes in the world at different stages, they said.
They also said that they have seen about 20 centimeters or 7.8 inches of global sea mean level rise above pre-industrial levels, and this figure is about one-third of sea level rise that could occur by 2100 or when global mean temperature rises to 2 degrees Celsius.
To accurately find the true level of temperatures before the industrial revolution, researchers from the Met Office and the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia analyzed recorded temperatures between 1850 and 1900.
Meanwhile, world leaders will meet up in the 21st Conference of the Parties session in Paris in December to discuss a new global agreement regarding climate change.
Photo: Mikael Miettinen | Flickr
