The United Nations stated on Wednesday (2) that the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels will not be met, marking the first time a UN agency has directly stated that this limit will be exceeded. The report by the United Nations Environment Programme warned that the best remaining option has shifted from "avoiding exceeding" to "dealing with it," in an unprecedented assessment that generated consternation among nations vulnerable to climate change.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres had already acknowledged last year the inevitability of exceeding the 1.5°C limit in the coming years, but this is the first formal assessment by a UN agency to confirm this reality directly. Scientists around the world agree that warming above this threshold represents serious risks for the planet.
Almost a decade ago, nearly 200 nations committed to trying to keep global temperature rise within this limit considered safest, but the report indicates that this goal is no longer achievable with current climate policies. The document outlined how global temperatures could be reduced if effective measures are adopted, although the prospects remain concerning for the future of the global climate.
