Dr. Gößling, a climate physicist at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, is investigating the causes behind the unexpected rise in global temperatures.
Several theories have been proposed, including a reduction in low-level cloud cover that typically helps cool the planet and prolonged ocean heat after the El Niño event.
Dr. Gößling cautioned that it is difficult to determine if this accelerated warming is a permanent shift linked to human activity or simply part of natural climate variability.
Despite this uncertainty, scientists emphasize that humans can still influence future climate outcomes, with significant reductions in emissions helping to mitigate warming.
Dr. Hausfather pointed out that while surpassing 1.5°C of warming is now likely, limiting it to 1.6°C to 1.8°C this century would still avoid the worst effects of climate change.
He stressed that avoiding a rise to 3°C or 4°C is crucial, as even a smaller increase can prevent far worse environmental and societal consequences.
