Ambitious 1.5C Paris climate target is still possible, study shows

The ambitious target of limiting global warming to less than 1.5C is still possible, scientific analysis has shown. The 1.5C target was set as an aspiration by the 2015 Paris accord to limit the damage wreaked by extreme weather and sea level rise. It was then seen as impossible because analysis at the time indicated it required carbon emissions to fall to zero within seven years.

An updated analysis using the latest data shows the global carbon emissions budget that meets the 1.5C goal is bigger than thought. It means that, if the world’s nations ratchet up their emissions cuts in future as intended under the Paris deal, the irreversible impacts could be avoided. The scientists warned that carbon cuts need to happen sooner rather than later, starting with countries strengthening their Paris pledges in 2018.

In the years 2015, 2016 temperature was more than 1C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. 97% of green house heat is absorbed by the oceans and the rising global warming has remained unchecked for decades. Evidence of this is the rise of sea levels, caused by melting ice caps and the thermal expansion of sea water.

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