Global Warming: World ‘Nowhere Near on Track’ to Meeting Temperature Rise Target

Governments around the world are “nowhere near on track” to restricting the rise in global temperatures to below 1.5 degrees Celsius higher the pre-industrial period, says the author of a United Nations report. As part of the 2015 Paris climate pact, leaders agreed to curb temperature rises to 2 C above the era before mass industrialization, with an aim to limit it to 1.5 C. Donald Trump has since vowed to exit the Paris accord. “It’s extraordinarily challenging to get to the 1.5 C target and we are nowhere near on track to doing that,” said Drew Shindell, a Duke University climate scientist. “While it’s technically possible, it’s extremely improbable, absent a real sea change in the way we evaluate risk. We are nowhere near that.” Shindell added that, to reach the target, we would have to eliminate emissions from cars, trucks and airplanes and begin a rapid phaseout of fossil fuels such as coal.