World close to crossing climate threshold: UN's wake up call

Long-term global warming is currently estimated to be between 1.34 and 1.41 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the World Meteorological Organization warned in its State of the Global Climate report on Tuesday.

- Jayashree Nandi

The assessment is based on a range of methods, the report said while pointing out that the world is a fraction of a degree away from breaching the 1.5 degrees Celsius lower limit-goal set by the Paris Agreement. To be sure, 19 of the past 20 months have seen the mark being temporarily breached.

"While a single year above 1.5 °C of warming does not indicate that the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement are out of reach, it is a wake-up call that we are increasing the risks to our lives, economies and to the planet," WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo said.