The last three years were the hottest on record, a new analysis of global climate data finds. They also mark the first three-year period in which the global average temperature exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — a threshold associated with increased risks to biodiversity, human health and weather extremes.
“1.5 degrees C is not a cliff edge, but we know that every half a degree matters,” said climate scientist Samantha Burgess at a January 12 press event announcing the report. Burgess is the strategic climate lead for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, or ECMWF, which released the report January 14.
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