A landmark UN report says the world will overshoot the 1.5°C climate target. What happens now?
It’s no longer possible to hold climate change to 1.5. But it’s not game over – it’s game on.
A new United Nations report states that the world will likely surpass the 1.5°C climate target by 2030, which was previously considered unattainable. This is particularly concerning for Australia's Pacific Island neighbours, who face the threat of rapidly rising seas. Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr expressed deep emotion about the situation, emphasizing the urgent need for increased political will and investment in a climate-safe future.
While it's still possible to experience a temporary overshoot of the 1.5°C target, if countries redouble their efforts to phase out fossil fuels and reduce emissions, peak warming could be limited to 1.8°C. Carbon removal methods could then bring temperatures back to 1.5°C or below this century. However, every fraction of a degree matters, and the world is currently 1.4°C warmer than pre-industrial levels, with climate disasters causing increasing damage and death tolls.
The 2015 Paris Agreement established a shared goal of limiting global warming to "well below" 2°C and "pursuing efforts" to hold it to 1.5°C. The small silver lining is that global emissions are plateauing, but they have not yet begun to fall significantly. To bring temperatures back under 1.5°C, massive efforts to cut emissions and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are needed, potentially through tree planting, nature restoration, or technological approaches like rock weathering or ocean alkalinity enhancement.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
