It’s ‘Virtually Certain’ the World Has Already Breached 1.5C

The world may have already missed its chance to limit global warming to 1.5C, according to two new studies in Nature Climate Change.

The Paris Agreement was inked in 2015, with 196 countries agreeing to rein in greenhouse gas emissions to keep the global average temperature increase to “well below” 2C and ideally cap it at 1.5C compared to pre-industrial times. The new analyses show the world will surpass the latter, underscoring the urgent need to cut carbon emissions.

“Every increment of warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius means worse extremes,” said Alex Cannon, a research scientist with Environment and Climate ...