1.5ºC The red line we crossed. What now?
The image is overwhelming, the BBC graph shows it starkly: in 2024, global temperature has surpassed the threshold of 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels. A red line drawn in the Paris Agreements of 2015, not as a goal to be achieved, but as a limit that we should not cross to avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change. And yet, here we are.
The surpassing of this limit is not a surprise. Scientists have been warning for years about the dangerous path we were on, with increasingly alarming data on rising temperatures, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
Scorching heat waves, prolonged droughts, devastating floods, unprecedented storms — the list is long and increasingly common in headlines around the world. Climate change has ceased to be a future threat and has become a palpable reality affecting millions of people in every corner of the planet.
How did we get here? The answer is complex, but a key part of it lies in inaction, a lack of real commitment and the inability of governments to implement the measures needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Paris Agreements, once celebrated as a milestone in the fight against climate change, have remained a dead letter, broken promises and empty rhetoric that does not translate into concrete actions. International meetings, climate summits and grandiloquent declarations follow one another, while the planet continues to warm at an alarming rate.
Meanwhile, society, for the most part, remains distracted. Immersed in our daily lives, bombarded by a constant flow of information, we find it difficult to connect with the magnitude of the problem and assume our individual and collective responsibility. Consumption habits, production patterns and lifestyles remain anchored in an unsustainable model that fuels the climate crisis. The urgency of the situation is not reflected in our actions.
In this context, the words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres resonate with special force. His calls for action, his warnings about the consequences of inaction and his denunciation of the lack of political leadership are a desperate cry in the face of global passivity. In his speech, captured in the video https://youtu.be/Srw-qQMlwxk
Mr. Guterres leaves no room for ambiguity. The message is clear: we are on the brink of the abyss and we need a radical change of course if we are to avoid the worst.
But what can we do now that we have crossed the 1.5ºC line? Giving up is not an option. The fight against climate change is a marathon, not a sprint, and even if we have lost a battle, the war is not yet lost. We must redouble our efforts, demand that our leaders act with the urgency and determination that the situation demands, and assume our own responsibility in the transition to a sustainable future.
Surpassing the 1.5ºC limit does not mean that we should abandon efforts to mitigate climate change. Every tenth of a degree counts, and every action we take to reduce emissions can make a difference. Investing in renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, transforming our transport systems, promoting sustainable agriculture and protecting our ecosystems are key pieces in this puzzle.
Surpassing the 1.5ºC limit does not mean that we should abandon efforts to mitigate climate change. Every tenth of a degree counts, and every action we take to reduce emissions can make a difference. Investing in renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, transforming our transport systems, promoting sustainable agriculture and protecting our ecosystems are key pieces in this puzzle.
