COP26: 6 charts to help you understand climate change

Nov 11, 2021

at a climate protest, protesters are holding up a 1.5 degrees celsius sign, which is the temperature the world must aim for to avoid some of the worst effects of climate change

An atmospheric scientist explores the key driving forces behind climate change and the impact it's having on the planet. Image: UNSPLASH/Mika Baumeister

Betsy Weatherhead

Senior Scientist, University of Colorado Boulder

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Climate Change

a chart showing how how much the CO2 concentration increased each year from 1960 to 2020

Image: Chart: The Conversation/CC-BY-ND Source: NOAA Global Monitoring Lab

a chart showing how long CO2 stays in the atmosphere

How long does CO2 stay in the atmosphere? Image: Chart: The Conversation/CC-BY-ND Source: Pieter Tans

a chart showing climate history: 500 million years before the present, to the present day

When carbon dioxide levels have been high in the past, evidence shows temperatures have also been high. Image: The Conversations, Based on Salawitch et al., 2017, updated with data to the end of 2020, CC BY

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a chart showing how temperatures have risen over time around the world

Temperatures have risen over time around the world. Image: The Conversation/CC-BY-ND Source: NOAA

a chart showing how sea level has risen in coastal cities around the world

Sea levels have risen in costal cities around the world. Image: Chart: The Conversation/CC-BY-ND Source: Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level

a diagram of the earth highlighting a high-emissions scenario for climate change

Based on SSP3-7.0, a high-emissions scenario. Image: Claudia Tebaldi, et al., 2021

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