Scientists claim that the global temperature has increased by 1 Celcius. What percentage increase is this?

Question

I would appreciate an answer. I have sent this question to Environment Canada, CNN and the Union of Concerned Scientists and no-one has responded.

Answer 1

Scientifically, the proper way to answer this is in relation to absolute zero. Prior to 1900, the long-term global average temperature was about 14.78 C, which is 258.37 K. A one-degree C rise would then be 0.39%.

Answer 2

If the average temperature was 15° Celcius, then the average temperature would be 288.15° Kelvin. Kelvin measures temperature from absolute zero, or the point at which no heat exists, and a 1° increase would be 0.35% on that scale. On the Celcius scale, it's a 6.67% change, and on the Farenheit scale it is a 3.05% change.

What really matters is the effect on the ecosystems we depend on, and those changes are probably much greater than 0.35% but less than 6.67% at this point. Of course the real question is at what point will the change be too great to maintain our current population and will our species be able to adapt enough to survive when we reach that point?

Answer 3

The world's temperature is on course to rise by more than three degrees Centigrade despite efforts to combat global warming, Britain's chief scientist has warned.

Sir David King issued a stark wake-up call that climate change could cause devastating consequences such as famine and drought for hundreds of millions of people unless the world's politicians take more urgent action.

Britain and the rest of the European Union have signed up to a goal of limiting the temperature rise to two degrees. In his strongest warning yet on the issue, Sir David suggested the EU limit will be exceeded.

According to computer-modelled predictions for the Government, a three-degree rise in temperatures could put 400 million more people at risk of hunger; leave between one and three billion more people at risk of water stress; cause cereal crop yields to fall by between 20 and 400 million tons; and destroy half the world's nature reserves.




==>So I would conclude that one degree makes a big difference.

Answer 4

Usually in low latitudes temperature is 30-40 Celcius.
So if it has increased by 1 Celcius, percentage incrase is 3-5 percent.

Answer 5

the global average temperature used to be somewhere between 14 and 15 celsius... so a one degree difference comprises a [(100/15)*1] or roughly 6.5% increase.

*takes a bow*