Still a chance to return to 1.5C climate goal, researchers say

"There is still a chance for the world to avoid the worst ravages of climate breakdown and return to the goal of 1.5C if governments take concerted action on greenhouse gas emissions, a new assessment argues. The Climate Analytics report says governments' goals are inadequate and need to be rapidly revised, and calls for the rapid scaling-up of the use of renewable energy and electrification of key sectors including transport, heating and industry."

"Temperatures have already, for two years, exceeded the limit of 1.5C of global heating above preindustrial levels that was set out in the 2015 Paris agreement. A UN Environment Programme (Unep) report published this week said current plans published by national governments would lead to heating of about 2.3C to 2.5C, a level that scientists have said would lead to a massive increase in extreme weather and devastating damage to some of the world's key natural systems."

Governments' current targets are inadequate to meet the 1.5°C goal and must be rapidly revised with scaled-up renewable energy and electrification of transport, heating, and industry. Current temperatures have exceeded 1.5°C for two years and national plans point to roughly 2.3–2.5°C warming. A Climate Analytics roadmap suggests warming could peak near 1.7°C before 2050 and be reduced toward 1.5°C by century's end through fossil fuel phase-out and carbon removal technologies. Key climate tipping points — Greenland ice-sheet loss, Amazon rainforest dieback, and coral bleaching — pose severe risks, with some already potentially triggered.

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