the average temperature increase in the last 100 years is only 2°F. How can such a small amount be impactful?

Question

Not looking for a political argument. I need facts. I am in no way a climate change denier, but I had a conversation with someone who told me the average increase is only 2°F over the past 100 years. That doesn’t seem like a lot and would support the argument that the climate goes through waves of changes naturally over time.

I’m going to run into him tomorrow and I need some ammo to support the climate change argument. Is it the rate of change that’s increasing that makes it dangerous? Is 2° enough to cause a lot of polar ice caps to melt? I need some facts to counter his. Thanks!

Edit: spelling

In: 597

Answer 1

A global 2° increase in average is indeed huge.
To give a sense of scale, a global 3° less was the ice age : A 2 km thick ice sheet on the landmass at latitude as south as New-York City