CGTN Europe spoke to Dr. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
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00:00The planet is warming to levels never experienced by modern humans.
00:04That's according to the European Union's climate monitor,
00:07confirming 2024 was the hottest year on record.
00:11New data shows global average temperatures last year
00:14were around 1.6 degrees above pre-industrial times,
00:18more than a century ago, before mass burning of fossil fuels.
00:242024 was the first year to breach the 1.5 degree global limit
00:28set by the 2015 Paris Agreement,
00:31but it doesn't yet break the international target
00:34due to it being measured by long-term average.
00:38Scientists say the record heat is mostly due to emissions
00:41of planet-warming gases such as carbon dioxide.
00:45Among extreme weather events in 2024,
00:48the world saw blistering temperatures in West Africa,
00:51intense rainfall in Central Europe,
00:53and particularly strong tropical storms
00:56hitting North America and South Asia.
00:59Well, let's talk now to Dr. Samantha Burgess,
01:01Deputy Director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
01:06Dr. Burgess, good to see you. Welcome.
01:07So 2024, hottest year on record.
01:10Just how fast is global warming accelerating?
01:15Yes, that's right.
01:16So not only was 2024 the warmest year on record,
01:20but the last 10 years have been the warmest 10 years on record.
01:24And we've known since 1990 with the first IPCC assessment report
01:30that our world is warming at about a rate of 0.2 degrees per decade.
01:35And this rate has increased recently.
01:37So we're now at a background level of global warming
01:41of about 1.3 degrees above that pre-industrial level.
01:46Those are pretty blunt figures and very alarming figures, obviously.
01:49Are we simply out of time?
01:52And if not, how much time do we have to make any difference?
01:58So the reality is it's never too late,
02:01and the consequences will only get worse the later we stabilize our climate.
02:06Every single fraction of a degree matters.
02:08So even if we do exceed the 1.5 degree level of the Paris Agreement
02:14over the long-term average,
02:16the next target should be 1.6 degrees rather than default to 2 degrees.
02:22Which parts of the world are most at risk?
02:25Obviously, tonight's programs around the world are dominated by California
02:29being ravaged by wildfires.
02:31But I mean, very clearly, these are not isolated incidents.
02:37That's right.
02:38So everywhere on our planet, unfortunately,
02:40is already being impacted by climate change.
02:44But it then depends on where you are on our planet
02:48as to what type of events your location is more susceptible to.
02:53So there's areas like California and much of Australia
02:56and the Mediterranean regions that are much more susceptible to wildfires,
03:00but others have much higher flood risk, for example.
03:04Does anyone listen to you?
03:05Do you ever think that?
03:06I mean, is the scientific community being listened to by global leaders?
03:12The scientific evidence has never been more clear.
03:18And, you know, ourselves and the other data producing centers around the world
03:24are communicating very frequently
03:26on what the climate monitoring data is telling us.
03:29There are very strong voices.
03:32For example, Antonio Gutierrez has come out today
03:37to say the blazing temperatures of 2024
03:42need to be met by trailblazing climate action.
03:45So I think there is that recognition there of the science.
03:49And the reality is that all countries around the world
03:52committed to the Paris Agreement in 2015.
03:55So that was global leaders committing to climate action
03:58to limit global temperatures below that 1.5 degree level.
04:02And for those of us who are not distinguished scientists like you
04:05or presidents or prime ministers,
04:07it's very easy to feel powerless in this conversation.
04:09What can individuals do, if anything?
04:14Yeah, so individuals can do a lot.
04:16And that's one of the important things.
04:20A very easy thing to do is to look at where you invest.
04:24So where is your money?
04:25And is it in an institution that follows your philosophy of environmental causes?
04:32Or is it still investing in fossil fuel companies?
04:36There's many other things that individuals can do to take action
04:39at individual and community level.
04:43And it's not for scientists to dictate what they should be.
04:46But I think having conversations, if this is an important issue to you,
04:51hearing what other people are doing inspires people to say,
04:55actually, I can do that.
04:56I can make that change in my household as well.
04:59Dr. Samantha Burgess,
05:00Deputy Director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
05:03Thank you very much.