A new study suggests the earth is warming up faster than previously believed. While some projections indicate the world will reach 2.7°C around the turn of the century, Klaus Richter, president of the German Physical Society, and Frank Böttcher, chairman of the German Meteorological Society, issued a joint press release warning that average global temperatures could reach 3°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050.
The world briefly touched upon 1.5 °C in 2016. According to the 2025 Global Climate Highlights report, the latest three‑year average is above 1.5°C, but the global average is still officially cited as 1.4°C.
In an interview with Die Zeit, Richter explained, “Our appeal focuses on the observable acceleration of climate change. Whether it will continue is part of the global debate. A 3°C rise by 2050, which we cannot rule out, is already within the range of the IPCC’s scenarios. As professional societies, we carry a social responsibility to point out potential risks early.”
Böttcher added, “ The last IPCC report is now a decade old. The data looks very different today. Since industrialization, it took 65 years for the world to heat by 0.5 °C. It then took just 28 years to reach 1°C. We could breach the 1.5 °C threshold in only 17 more years, possibly as early as next year. The half-degree steps are coming faster and faster. Then there is the issue of ocean temperatures. Oceans have long been a massive buffer against warming. But for two and a half years now we have seen a sharp spike. If this continues, the oceans will absorb less of the extra energy caused by greenhouse gases, and temperatures in the atmosphere will climb faster.”
Extreme weather events – like winter gales, flooding, droughts and wildfires – will increase in scale and frequency. Richter and Böttcher anticipate a sharp increase in sea levels, which could eventually result in coastal cities needing to relocate to more inland locations. Summer temperatures in Germany could peak as high as 50°C.
Böttcher concluded “We need adaptation strategies to protect society from the risks. To put it simply, I cannot tell you the exact time and place a fire will start, but I can advise that we keep a fire department ready.”
Top image credit: Flooded Pastures in Northeastern Novato, California – Photo by AnonymousEditor95 (Own work) via wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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