25 euros AUSTRIA 2023 - Global warming

25 EUROS AUSTRIA 2023 - Global warming

First the bad news: it's getting hotter. The good news is that by acting in an environmentally friendly way, each and every one of us can contribute to limiting temperature rise. Global Warming, the 2023 edition of our best-selling silver niobium coin, is a timely reminder that we must act before it is too late.

The human-caused temperature increase since 1850 has already surpassed the 1°C mark. Not that this is a new perception. Back in 2015, the Paris Agreement set the long-term goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C and this was reaffirmed at the UN Climate Change Conference in 2021. But current measures to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions do not go far enough toward that goal. There are now fears of a temperature rise of more than 3°C by the year 2100, which would have catastrophic consequences for both humans and the natural world.

If, by 2030, global CO2 emissions could be reduced by 45 percent, we would be well on our way to avoiding that increase. But time is running out and we are already beginning to see the disastrous effects of global warming. Extreme weather events, melting glaciers and changes in weather patterns are becoming more common. Reducing energy consumption and sustainable use of natural resources are important steps to combat such developments. Every ton of greenhouse gases we don't produce could help avoid a catastrophe.

Depicted within the blue and gold niobium core of the coin's obverse, a thermometer forms part of a clock symbolizing time is running out. To your left is a globe that says +1.5°C. A globe also appears in the center of the reverse of the coin, which discusses the economic, ecological and social aspects of sustainability. On the right are the silhouettes of two human faces, in front of them is a sea turtle swimming. Due to environmental pollution and global warming, this species is in danger of extinction.