[Numbers in the News] The Temperature Rise Threshold '1.5℃' Broken... Earth's Temperature Up by 1.54℃

In 2015, the international community set a goal through the Paris Agreement to limit the rise in the Earth's average temperature to within 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. According to the analysis by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), if the Earth's average temperature rises more than 1.5℃, extreme climate disasters are expected to increase rapidly.

With the Earth's average temperature already having risen about 1℃, an additional 0.5℃ increase is predicted to lead to more extreme heatwaves, wildfires, and floods. Scientists warn that exceeding 1.5℃ will significantly amplify the damage to the Earth's ecosystems and human society. The 1.5℃ temperature rise limit is not just a number but the last line of defense to prevent the climate catastrophes the Earth will face.

However, it was announced that this year (January to September), the Earth's average temperature rose 1.54℃ above pre-industrial levels, surpassing this critical threshold.

On the 24th, when an early heatwave was raging across the country, a rally urging solutions to climate change was held in front of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul, hosted by Youth Climate Action. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Recently, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported in its "2024 Global Climate Status Report" that the global average temperature from January to September 2024 rose 1.54℃ compared to the pre-industrial period (1850?1900). This is higher than last year’s previous record of 1.45℃, which was the hottest year on record.

The WMO explained that the Earth's average temperature has been rising continuously for 16 months from June last year to September this year. Since the 1.5℃ limit set by the Paris Agreement refers to long-term warming over several decades, some argue that the recent temperature rise does not mean the permanent loss of the Paris Agreement’s target. However, if the frequency of the Earth's average temperature exceeding 1.5℃ increases, human casualties and economic damages worldwide are expected to expand further.

In South Korea, economic damages caused by climate disasters over the past decade have reached 16 trillion won. Climate Solution, an environmental organization, together with the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Mo Kyung-jong, published a policy report titled "Climate Backlash: Analysis of Climate Disaster Damage by Year and Region over 10 Years," which revealed that from 2013 to 2023, direct damages from climate disasters amounted to 4.1 trillion won, and the costs for recovery reached 11.8 trillion won. The total economic damage summed up to 15.9 trillion won.

During the same period, there were 341 casualties, with deaths notably increasing after 2018, which recorded the worst heatwave since weather observations began. The average annual casualties were 4 from 2013 to 2017, but rose to 53.5 from 2018 to 2023.

Climate Solution analyzed, "Looking at the changes in the scale of climate disasters by year, there was a tendency for the scale of climate disasters in South Korea to gradually expand as the average global temperature rose compared to the industrial era."