Every once in a while, there’s a word in the news that feels like it needs more explaining. CBC Kids News contributor Aubrie Chan uses her drawings to break it down for you.The global temperature is rising due to climate change.For 12 months, from February 2023 to January 2024, the global temperature was 1.52 C above pre-industrial levels , according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service .
Just because we’ve broken temperature records for the past year doesn’t mean the Paris Agreement has failed.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change defines warming as an increase in global average temperature over a 30-year period. It looks at temperatures over a long period of time because temperatures can rise and fall over a short term.So, the Paris Agreement won't be a failure until the world has passed the 1.5 C benchmark for decades.Climate impacts are already happening, and many scientists and activists are asking governments to act faster.But each day and month that we hit 1.5 C means that it could become more likely that we pass that benchmark, said Buonotempo.