1.5 Degrees Cozy or Catastrophe (Potential Energy’s Knowledge Newsletter)

When messaging about climate impacts, don’t lead with temperature goals. For most people, “1.5°C” of global warming just doesn’t seem that bad. In the US, nearly 50% of respondents felt there would be no change or perhaps even slight improvement to life on a hotter Earth. Globally, the average person believed the U.N proposed a cap on warming of an additional 4°C (putting us on track for an utter catastrophe.) Globally, less than a third of people know what the Paris Agreement is.

This research surveyed 25,000 respondents in 8 countries.