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Why is 1.5 degrees such a big deal?

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Because to warm our entire planet up
by 1.5 degrees Celsius

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requires a lot of heat.

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All this extra heat melts glaciers,
which raise sea levels.

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If the ice sheets of Antarctica
and Greenland melt completely,

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millions of people's homes
will be under water.

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The extra heat also intensifies weather,

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making wet places wetter, dry places drier

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and increasing the ferocity of storms.

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That 1.5-degree increase
also won't be distributed evenly.

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The coldest nights in the Arctic
might get 10 degrees warmer.

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The warmest days in Mumbai
might get five degrees hotter.

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Over the past 10,000 years,
we've been lucky.

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Earth's climate was stable
and our civilizations flourished.

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But as our climate gets more unstable,
so will our economies and our societies.

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We'll all suffer,

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and the vulnerable will be hit hardest,

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unless we act now.

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[Countdown

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Take action on climate change
at Countdown.ted.com]