UN report finds 1.5°C warming limit likely to be exceeded by 2030
For more than a decade, the world has been trying to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
A new United Nations report has found that the limit of 1.5°C global warming is likely to be exceeded by 2030. This is a dire warning for Australia's Pacific island neighbors, who are already facing rapidly rising seas. World leaders must respond with increased ambition and investment to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
While there is some hope that the world can temporarily overshoot 1.5°C and then reduce warming, it will require urgent action to keep temperatures below 1.8°C. The world is already 1.4°C warmer than preindustrial levels and climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent and severe. The Paris Agreement aims to limit warming to well below 2°C, with efforts to restrict it to 1.5°C.
Pacific nations were instrumental in securing this goal. Failure to act will put the world at risk of irreversible damage from climate tipping points, such as the collapse of Antarctic ice sheets. However, progress has been made in shifting to clean energy technologies and nations are on track to avoid the worst outcomes of a 3°C warming scenario.
The upcoming UN climate conference in Turkey will be a crucial opportunity for Australia to push for stronger commitments to rapidly reduce emissions.
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