Countries pledged in the 2015 Paris Agreement to hold global warming to within 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures but the new paper by a team of scientists, including from NASA and Columbia University, adds to evidence suggesting that this goal is already out of reach.
Most emissions scenarios under the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) envision the world breaching 1.5C during the 2030s.
EARTH SENSITIVITYThe study's findings, published in the journal Oxford Open Climate Change, result from two factors.
The IPCC has given a best-guess estimate that the doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels would yield global warming of around 3C (5.4F).
Cleaning the skies, while bringing health benefits and saving lives, accelerates climate change.
Persons:
Thomas Peter, James Hansen of, Michael Mann, Pennsylvania's Mann, Klaus Hubacek, Katy Daigle, Gareth Jones
Organizations:
REUTERS, NASA, Columbia University, United Nations, James Hansen of Columbia, Earth Institute, University of Pennsylvania, IPCC, University of Gronigen, Thomson
Locations:
Gan, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, China, UN, Paris, 1.5C, heatwaves, Libya, Dubai, 4.8C