UN says world must navigate 'reality' of 1.5C overshoot

The United Nations (UN) has released a report outlining how the world may need to adapt to temperatures surpassing the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold, which scientists say poses grave risks. The report, co-authored by Richard Betts from the University of Exeter and Debra Roberts from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, stresses that the challenge has shifted from avoiding an overshoot to managing it.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres acknowledged the inevitability of overshooting 1.5C in a previous year but this is the first time a UN agency has addressed it directly in a dedicated report. Scientists agree that warming above 1.5C relative to pre-industrial times poses severe risks, and nearly 200 nations committed in 2015 to limit global temperature rises to this safer threshold.

However, the world is expected to exceed 1.5C in a matter of years, and the focus has now shifted to making the overshoot as brief and contained as possible. The report emphasizes that while there are no good outcomes if we remain above 1.5C, there are still actions that can be taken to limit warming, including carbon dioxide removal and deep, rapid cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.