The chart illustrates the significant warming trends observed in land surface air temperatures compared to global land-ocean mean surface temperatures from 1850 to 2018. Notably, land areas have warmed at nearly double the rate of the global average since 1850, reaching a 1.5°C increase by 2018. This rapid warming on land poses substantial risks to humanity, as highlighted by the IPCC. The risks include increased dryland water scarcity, soil erosion, vegetation loss, wildfire damage, permafrost degradation, tropical crop yield decline, and food supply instabilities. The Mediterranean region, for instance, has seen over a 50% increase in the area burned by wildfires. These changes underscore the urgent need for climate action to mitigate the impacts of a 1.5°C temperature rise, which already places us in the moderate to high-risk zone across various environmental and socio-economic categories. The data emphasizes the critical nature of addressing climate change to prevent further exacerbation of these risks.
