1.5C for planet, 1C for people: Scientists step up climate warning

(Context, 2 Jun 2023) Top climate scientist Johan Rockström says global warming above 1C is already causing significant harm to humans.

Scientists have for years backed a goal to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, to avoid the most dangerous effects for the planet. But a new analysis says the limit to prevent significant harm to people is just 1C.

The warning - issued this week in research published in the journal Nature - comes late, given that the Earth has already heated up by about 1.2C since preindustrial times. 

The World Meteorological Organization has said global average temperatures are more likely than not to breach 1.5C - the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement to tackle climate change - in the next five years, on a temporary basis. 

Given this prospect, leading climate scientist Johan Rockström, who co-authored the new study, said in an interview that it is valuable for policymakers and the public to know that the planet is already in highly risky territory.

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Context, 2 Jun 2023: 1.5C for planet, 1C for people: Scientists step up climate warning