Are Climate Goals out of Reach?

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is scheduled to release its special report on the risks and benefits of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, or 2.7°F, above preindustrial levels.

The report is expected to contain sobering findings of how difficult it will be to meet the 1.5-degree target, which is an aspirational goal contained in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Every country in the world — except the U.S. — intends to honor the 2015 agreement, and the report will help inform negotiators in the next round of climate talks, set for December.

• We are currently on track for global warming of between 2.7 to 3.7°C by 2100, according to Kelly Levin, a scientist with the nonpartisan World Resources Institute.
• To meet the 1.5-degree target, we’d need to reach net zero emissions by mid-century, and negative emissions thereafter, using carbon removal tech.
•  Current emissions projections show the world is on track to increase emissions through 2030.

 Some climate scientists are making clear that the 1.5-degree target, which is seen as low-lying island nations’ best hope for long-term survival, is effectively out of reach.