Significance of a 1 °C increase in global temperature

Abstract The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports indicate that the global mean temperature is about 1 °C higher than pre-industrial levels, this increase anthropogenic, and there a causal relationship between an in frequency magnitude of extreme weather events. This seems at odds with common sense, may be difficult to explain non-experts. Thus appreciate significance one degree temperature, we perform back-of-the-envelope calculations relying simple physics. We estimate excess thermal energy trapped climate system (oceans, land, atmosphere) from show it thousands times larger estimated required form maintain hurricane. Our estimates warming forming very large pool could principle power heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts, hurricanes. arguments presented here are sufficiently introductory physics classes, can serve as plausibility showing even seemingly small potentially lead