UN Says World Will Soon Pass 1.5C Warming Limit

The United Nations Environment Programme says the world will soon pass the 1.5C global warming limit from the 2015 Paris Agreement. The planet is now about 1.4C warmer than before factories and industry changed the climate, so that limit is very close.

The 1.5C goal matters because scientists found that 2C of warming would cause worse heatwaves, greater losses of plants and animals, and faster sea level rise. But the UN report says passing 1.5C in the next few years is now unavoidable. If governments follow only their current plans, the world could warm by at least 2.3C by 2100. Even in the best case, temperatures may reach about 1.8C in the middle of the century.

Life above 1.5C would be difficult, the report says. Food production could fall, water shortages could grow worse, and more people could become ill or die from extreme weather. Some changes, like the loss of certain plants and animals, would never be undone. Poorer countries are expected to suffer the most, but recent extreme heat in Europe shows that richer countries are not safe either.

There is still a way back, the UN says. Countries need to cut pollution by about half by 2035 and stop using coal, oil, and gas. They also need to protect forests and build new machines that remove carbon dioxide, a gas that traps heat, from the air. Inger Andersen, the head of the UN Environment Programme, said: "1.5 target is still the goal. But now we need to approach it differently from above."