Climate change: global warming reaches an alarming 1.62 degrees Celsius!

Climate change: global warming reaches an alarming 1.62 degrees Celsius!

Scientists at the Wegener Center in Graz predict an alarming global warming of 1.62 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels by 2024, as the Copernicus study also confirmed. These findings come from Gottfried Kirchengast and his team, who use a newly developed calculation method that enables a more precise prediction of global temperature. “We were surprised even now at how accurate it was,” noted Kirchengast during a press conference. Although the official publication of this method is not scheduled until spring 2025, the first results were already recorded at the end of September, when the estimate of 1.62 degrees was formed. According to Kirchengast, this technique is reproducible and could also be used by Copernicus for future analysis, underscoring the urgency of the issue.

Urgency of climate policy

The global temperature norm of 1.6 degrees is a “drastic warning signal” that prevails despite the climatic phenomenon El Niño. Kirchengast points out that about 1.4 degrees of this increase is long-term and clearly man-made. The scientist highlights that rising global emissions will further drive long-term warming and calls for comprehensive measures to reduce emissions: "To limit the increasingly catastrophic consequences of global warming, we must more than halve emissions by 2035 in line with the Paris climate goals," he explained.
Church guest's statements about political responsibility are clear: ignoring clear facts is a "mental derangement" and acting with false information is "not a policy of integrity." Further context is also provided by the NÖN report, which states that 2024 may be the warmest year on record, fueled further by November, which was proven to be the second warmest November on record.

In addition, from 2025, the Graz “ClimateTracer” will also include an analysis of weather and climate extremes. The new data is intended to support decision-makers in politics and business and provides a comprehensive basis for effective climate protection management. The Graz Climate Research Indicator is described as a unique portal that provides comprehensive and high-quality information, which further underlines the necessity and importance of this research. Kirchengast explains more about this in his comments on current developments and the necessary measures in climate policy that would have to be taken by the coming coalition.

Details about the criteria and methodologies can be found on the platform Graz Climate Change Indicators (GCCI) as well as in the reports of Small newspaper and NOP.