Still a chance to bring global heating back below 1.5C, researchers argue

There is still a chance for the world to avoid the worst ravages of climate breakdown and return to the goal of limiting global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels, if governments take concerted action on greenhouse gas emissions, a new assessment argues.

- Fiona Harvey

The Prince of Wales, seen here looking out over Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro yesterday, is in Brazil to present the Earthshot climate prize

(VICTORIA JONES/ SHUTTERSTOCK)

Current plans published by national governments will lead to a world about 2.3C to 2.5C hotter than preindustrial times, according to the UN Environment Programme (Unep) published this week, a level that scientists have said would mean a massive increase in extreme weather and devastating damage to some of the world's key natural systems.

World leaders are meeting in Belém, a small city near the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil, today and tomorrow to discuss the climate crisis, ahead of the Cop30 UN climate summit, which begins on Monday.

Temperatures have for two years already exceeded the limit of 1.5C set out in the 2015 Paris agreement. Existing goals from governments are inadequate and will need to be rapidly revised and made more stringent, the new assessment of government plans by the Climate Analytics group of researchers has found.