Already, human activity has raised average global temperatures by about 1.2 degrees Celsius relative to preindustrial conditions.
The most promising paths for avoiding 1.5 degrees are clearly gone, Joeri Rogelj, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who worked on the new projections, said at a news briefing.
“And they have been gone for a while, to be honest,” he added.
Even so, having an up-to-date picture of emissions and warming can still help governments figure out how to meet less ambitious climate goals, including the Paris pact’s second-best limit of 2 degrees Celsius.
Every extra increment of warming increases the risk of dangerous heat waves, floods, crop failures, species extinctions and wildfires.
Persons:
Joeri
Organizations:
Imperial College London, Paris
Locations:
Paris