This is complete fiction. The very fact that it is a round number should be a clue that this is not a scientific assessment, it is political.

For some reason the "powers that be" have fallen for the Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming (CAGW) story. Quite apart from the fact that this theory has no proof - see my answers to other questions - it is pure arrogance to think that mankind can do anything to affect the enormous, billions-of-years-old natural forces that control the climate.

The 2 degrees refers to the average temperature of the Earth. To begin with - what exactly is that and how do you measure it? Bringing that more to home - what is the average temperature of a room at a point in time? How many measurements do you take and where within the room? Multiply this to encompass the enormity of the Earth - its valleys, mountains, oceans (surface to deep), ice caps, lakes, tundra, forest, cities, top of the atmosphere... it's a meaningless number.

And is it not the case that the ecology of the Earth adapts to much more than a 2 degree variation all the time - even in temperate climates that's less than the difference between day and night temperatures, and when you consider deserts and seasons - 2 degrees is totally unnoticeable.

And in any case, who says that 2 degrees warmer is a bad thing? Would we rather be plunged into a deathly ice age?

Climate will change whatever mankind does.

Rather than try and fight futilely against natural forces, at enormous cost, wouldn't it be better to accept that climate will change - one way or the other - and make plans for ADAPTATION.

New York will NOT be inundated by sea-level rise in any time scale that prevents adaptation. The same goes for any other manifestation of climate change. Man has always adapted to previous climate changes. For example - the Greenland Ice Sheet is melting. The receding ice is uncovering FARMS, dated to the 10th/12th centuries. So it was warmer then than now. Vikings moved in and started farming. It got cold (nobody knows why). The farmers moved away. Not overnight, but gradually as it became nore and more difficult to raise crops. It's now getting warmer (nobody knows why). Maybe it will get warm enough for farming to recommence there. I hope so - rather that than a global freeze.

Forget the 2 degree nonsense. Plan for adaptation.

Why is the 2 degrees temperature heating key to stopping climate change is unfortunately facious mumbo jumbo. These sorts of measure are abitrary and non significant if you start to understand behaviouralism.

Climate change will be slowed down, not maybe halted. However significant steps will be taken when disasters take place that impact humans and this causes people to be asked to changed their habits. By nudge type government intervention - if you don't know what that means there is a book written on its methods and implications.

Broadcasters and film makes can have an impact too by including these themes in mainstream movies, TV programs and documentories

There’s broad consensus in the scientific community that if the global climate increases by 2 degrees Celsius we are likely to see greatly increased and perhaps even catastrophic impacts. This is particularly concerning in light of recent research findings that the probability of containing global warming to under this threshold is less than five percent. My understanding of the actual research behind this 2 degree threshold though is that it is less about there being hard evidence that there is a biological and ecological “tipping point” and more about it being a compelling political goal for the global community. It’s an understandable and relatable goal which simplifies an incredibly complicated science down to a line that we should not cross. I think at the end of this day, the 2 degrees Celsius climate change threshold is a key part of galvanizing efforts to curb climate change because it is simple, compelling and easy to grasp.