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Key Messages for Small Island Developing States from the IPCC 1.5°C Special Report
Dr Carl-Friedrich Schleussner
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have been advocating for at least a decade for the establishment of 1.5°C as an upper limit for global average temperature increase - due to their high vulnerability to increased climate impacts. This latest IPCC 1.5°C Special Report provides the scientific assessment that supports the long-established cry of SIDS to limit global temperatures and the risks that threaten these small island nations.
The United States is already experiencing impacts of climate change across most sectors and regions and it’s likely to get worse, according to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, published in November 2018.
The authoritative report has been written by 300 expert authors from 13 Federal institutions and other agencies, sets out a grim picture of the impacts of climate change while calling for global efforts in mitigation to reduce the many risks to the US.
Small Islands and 1.5°C — A Special Issue in Regional Environmental Change
Dr Carl-Friedrich Schleussner
Hot, dry or flooded — more weather extremes beyond 1.5°C warming
Dr Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Dr Fahad Saeed
This blog gives an overview of the most important recent studies on climate impacts and extreme events. Much of it will be synthesised in the IPCC special report on 1.5˚C, due out in October, which will be a key document for setting the course of climate policy at a global level.
Stayin' alive: heatwave makes searing case for 1.5°C
Dr Fahad Saeed, Dr Robert Brecha, Dr Carl-Friedrich Schleussner
This year’s extreme summer, still scorching central and northern Europe, is a stark illustration of the kind of climate change impacts we could see if nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Heat waves, droughts and other extremes will only increase in severity and frequency as the Earth continues to warm. Limiting warming to 1.5°C, as governments around the world pledged by signing the Paris Agreement, can help avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Don’t shift the goalposts of Paris Agreement’s temperature limits
Dr Carl-Friedrich Schleussner
The adoption of the Paris Agreement started a lively debate among scientists about the interpretation of several of its elements. Of particular interest has been the long-term temperature goal of limiting warming to “well below” 2°C or 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and the question of how progress against the goal should be tracked. As there are a number of different observed datasets for global temperature – as well as methods that use climate models – it means different studies can arrive at different assessments.