Basically, I never understood why (or rather how) a global increase of 1.5° (Celsius) can have as big an impact on the world as it does. How is that seemingly small increase melting the poles so much so that the coastline of many countries in the world might even be pushed back?
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A great way to think about it is heat and energy side that’s the important factor. While the average temperature increase seems small, and 1.5 is barely noticeable in our every day lives, temperature is not the thing that matters here, it’s energy. The earth is big. The oceans are huge. A candle is hot, but doesn’t have a lot of energy. A stove top is also hot, but because it’s a lot more massive which one would you rather sleep your hand on? That seemingly small temperature change requires a massive amount of energy to achieve.
A little more, it’s not the temperature that we care about, it’s what that heat does. Storms are driven by heart energy, so more energy means bigger storms. Cuteness of air and water are driven by temperature gradients which can get disrupted by small differences in temperature, which can lead to things like the gulf stream weakening, the key stream heading south and messing up precipitation patterns, the monsoon seasons lengthening or shortening, a whole host of issues are caused by this massive influx of energy into the planets systems.
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