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BBC Inside Science

Is 1.5 still alive?

Feb 27, 2025
Graham Lawton, a writer for New Scientist, sheds light on the crucial 1.5°C threshold in climate change discussions. He, alongside climate experts Mark Maslin and Lorraine Whitmarsh, addresses the implications of recent extreme weather. The podcast also explores NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission and its findings from asteroid Bennu, revealing insights into the origins of life. AI advancements, such as DeepSeek, are examined, alongside surprising discoveries in science, including research that often contradicts initial hypotheses.
28:10

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The significance of the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold highlights the urgent need for global action to mitigate climate change impacts.
  • Recent discoveries from the asteroid Bennu suggest that essential ingredients for life may have originated from extraterrestrial sources, reshaping our understanding of life's beginnings.

Deep dives

Significance of 1.5 Degrees

The figure of 1.5 degrees Celsius is crucial in discussions on climate change, as established in the Paris Agreement, where nations committed to limiting temperature increases to this level. Despite 2024 potentially being the hottest year on record, with the average global temperature surpassing 1.5 degrees, understanding this number is essential for grasping the broader implications of climate change. It signifies not just a mere statistic but emphasizes the intensity of climate-related events across the globe, such as extreme wildfires and heatwaves. Experts suggest that while passing this threshold indicates catastrophic consequences, it also reinforces the urgency of collective global action to manage emissions and mitigate further impacts.

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