Why it matters that earth is on the brink of 1.5 degrees Celsius in warming

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🗞️ Driving the news: Earth is on the verge of surpassing the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold since the 1800s, posing severe risks worldwide
• A study in Nature Climate Change predicts that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, the planet may exceed this limit by early 2029, three years earlier than previously expected

🔭 The context: The 1.5 degrees Celsius target is a global effort to mitigate climate change, agreed upon in the Paris Agreement 
• Surpassing this threshold increases the risk of catastrophic climate impacts, including damage to coral reefs, sea level rise, ocean acidification, and negative effects on crops

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The close proximity to the 1.5-degree warming threshold highlights the urgency for drastic emission reductions and adoption of clean energy
• Every tenth of a degree of additional warming exacerbates the impacts of climate change

⏭️ What's next: The focus is on reducing emissions by 45% by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050 to limit warming
• The world's largest emitters play a crucial role in encouraging global fossil fuel reduction

💬 One quote: "The world will blow past 1.5 [degrees] C well before today’s kindergarteners finish high school" (Rob Jackson, Professor of Earth System Science at Stanford University)

📈 One stat: To keep global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, current emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, according to the U.N.

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