Last week, the World Meteorological Organization issued a report stating that there is a 50:50 chance that at some point in the next five years, the global annual temperature could spike past 1.5°C hotter than preindustrial times. The goal that nearly every country in the world has agreed upon is to keep global warming under a threshold of 1.5°C by 2100, making the possibility of breaching it in the next five years particularly noteworthy. However, there is an important distinction: a blip over 1.5°C in a single year does not mean the world failed its climate goal. Ethan explains why year-to-year average temperatures are not the measuring stick for climate change and how the WMO’s report successfully explained that nuance in this week’s “Tip of the Iceberg.”
The Sweaty Penguin is presented by Peril and Promise: a public media initiative from The WNET Group in New York, reporting on the issues and solutions around climate change. You can learn more at pbs.org/perilandpromise.
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CREDITS
Writers: Ethan Brown, Shannon Damiano, Maddy Schmidt
Fact Checker: Hallie Cordingley
Editor: Frank Hernandez
Producers: Olivia Amitay, Ethan Brown, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, Dain Kim, Caroline Koehl
Ad Voiceover: Lindsay Cronin
Music: Brett Sawka
The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.