1850
The Baseline
Pre-industrial temperatures establish the baseline. Earth's thermostat is in balance — carbon absorbed equals carbon released. A delicate equilibrium maintained for millennia.
+0.0°C
1896
Arrhenius's Warning
Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius calculates that doubling CO₂ could raise global temperatures by 5–6°C. The world doesn't listen. The first cough goes unnoticed.
+0.1°C
1950s
The Great Acceleration
Post-war industrial expansion sends fossil fuel consumption soaring. CO₂ emissions double, then double again. The patient's lifestyle is becoming dangerously unhealthy.
+0.2°C
Phase II
The Fever Builds
1988
The Diagnosis
NASA scientist James Hansen testifies before Congress: global warming has begun. The IPCC is formed. The fever is officially recognized — but the patient refuses treatment.
+0.4°C
1997
Kyoto Protocol
The first global agreement to cut greenhouse gases. Ambitious on paper, toothless in practice. The prescription is written but never filled. The fever ticks upward.
+0.5°C
2005
Hurricane Katrina
Category 5. 1,800 lives. $125 billion in damage. Warmer oceans fuel increasingly violent storms. The planet is shaking with chills — violent, destructive tremors.
+0.6°C
Phase III
Critical Condition
2012
Arctic Ice Collapse
Arctic sea ice hits its lowest extent in recorded history. 3.4 million km² — half of what it was in the 1980s. The planet's cooling system is failing. The ice packs are the cold compresses sliding off a feverish forehead.
+0.8°C
2015
Paris Agreement — 1.5°C Promise
196 nations agree to limit warming to 1.5°C. A dramatic intervention. But emissions continue rising. The doctors agree on the treatment plan — then walk out of the hospital.
+1.0°C
2020
Australia Burns
The Black Summer fires destroy 46 million acres. Three billion animals perish. Skies turn blood-red over Sydney. The fever is causing organ damage. The lungs of the Earth are on fire.
+1.1°C
2023
Hottest Year in 125,000 Years
Global average temperature shatters all records. Ocean surface temperatures hit levels not seen since the Eemian period. The fever has surpassed anything in human history. Every system is under stress.
+1.3°C
2030s
1.5°C Breached
The Paris threshold is crossed permanently. Coral reefs collapse worldwide. Extreme weather becomes the new normal. Hundreds of millions face water scarcity. The fever that was supposed to be prevented has arrived.
+1.5°C
2050s
The Two Degree World
Ice sheets pass the point of no return. Sea levels are locked in to rise by meters over coming centuries. A billion people are displaced. Ecosystem after ecosystem collapses. The organs are shutting down one by one.
+2.0°C
2100
Worst-Case Scenario
If emissions go unchecked: +3.5°C or more. Amazon rainforest turns to savannah. Permafrost thaws release trapped methane in a runaway feedback loop. The fever causes delirium — cascading tipping points beyond human control.
+3.5°C
2200+
A Hostile World
Much of the equatorial region becomes uninhabitable. Mass extinction rivals the Permian event — the Great Dying. The oceans acidify. The fever dream becomes a nightmare from which there may be no waking.
+5.0°C