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CrowdScience: What will 1.5° of warming look like?

Discussion & Talk

What will 1.5° of warming look like?

10/11/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, What will 1.5° of warming look like?

Listener Julian wants to know what to expect on the other side of this climate threshold.

Scientists say we're on track to cross this climate milestone in the coming decade. Listener Julian wants to know what life will look like on the other side of that threshold.

Our planet is quickly approaching 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Scientists say we might cross this milestone in just six years. Listener Julian wants to know what life will look like on the other side of that threshold.  

With the help of climate scientists, the BBC’s Anand Jagatia dives into the worlds of virtual climate models. From heatwaves to higher humidity indices to extreme precipitation and drought, he gets a picture of what's to come.  

We also venture to places that are warming both faster and more slowly than the global average. 

In a remote village in Alaska residents are already dealing with life-changing permafrost thaw and ground that's melting beneath their feet. Permafrost expert Sue Natali tells us what this unexpected thawing ground means for the planet as it releases carbon and methane we weren't necessarily counting on. 

In Indian cities, temperatures were already high, but they're not rising as quickly as climate scientists had initially predicted. We hear why this is and why it might be a big problem in the not- too-distant future. 

Anand also speaks to television series writer Dorothy Fortenberry about how science informed plotlines in her new show Extrapolations.  

This episode is not just about what climate change will bring -- but what it will feel like. 

Presenter: Anand Jagatia 
Producer: Sam Baker 
Reporters: Sunni Bean & Chhavi Sachdev 
Editor: Richard Collings 
Production Co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris 
Studio Manager: Tim Heffer 

Featuring: 

Dorothy Fortenberry, Extrapolations, Apple TV 
Tom Matthews, Department of Geography, King's College London 
Sue Natali, Woodwell Climate Research Center 
Morris Alexie, Tribal Liaison, Alaska Native village of Nunapicuaq (Nunapitchuk) 
Rakesh Kumar, India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research 
 
(Photo: Two children look out at floating sea ice. Credit: StutterStockX / Getty Images)

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