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The pre-industrial reference period describes a time with no anthropogenic influence on the climate. For Switzerland, the period 1871–1900 is used. It serves as a basis for comparisons with global trends and climate targets.
The pre-industrial reference period describes a time with no anthropogenic influence on the climate. For Switzerland, the period 1871–1900 is used. It serves as a basis for comparisons with global trends and climate targets.
The climate of pre-industrial times is described in a global context using the average temperature for the period 1850–1900. This period is suitable for comparisons for several reasons: On the one hand, sufficient measurement data is available for this period to calculate a global average temperature. On the other hand, it describes a time before human activity had any influence on the climate. Furthermore, the global mean temperature during this period was not unusually influenced by external factors such as solar or volcanic activity. In order to be able to ascertain the degree of human influence on the climate since the beginning of industrialisation, the temperature trend is compared to this pre-industrial reference period.
Film explaining the global 2-degree target and the definition of a pre-industrial reference period. The global warming of 0.8°C mentioned at the end refers to the period 1989–2018 and is outdated. (©MeteoSchweiz)
For Switzerland, the period of 1871–1900 is used as the pre-industrial reference period, as observation data are only available for the whole country from 1864 onwards. In terms of the mean temperature, the difference between this and the global reference period of 1850–1900 is very small and has no impact on the observed warming. Thanks to the establishment of a pre-industrial reference period for Switzerland, it is possible to determine the country’s overall temperature trend and put it into a global context.