New data from Copernicus, the EU Climate Monitoring Centre, shows that 2020 was the warmest year ever in Europe, 0.4°C above the previous record form 2019 and 1.6°C above the 1981-2001 reference period.
Globally, 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year ever on record. Global temperatures was 0.6 °C above the 1981-2001 reference period and 1.25°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period.
The United Nations Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C from October 2018, concludes that “limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared with 2°C would reduce challenging impacts on ecosystems, human health and well-being” and that a 2°C temperature increase would exacerbate extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing Arctic sea ice, coral bleaching, and loss of ecosystems, among other impacts.