By the time the actions contemplated in the Paris climate accord take hold, average global warming may already have surpassed the 1.5°C long-term target adopted at last year’s United Nations climate summit, a new study warns.
The new analysis by Climate Central indicates that the Earth actually tipped past 1.5ºC over the historical average for 1881-1910 average in February, the Washington Post reports, although global temperatures may drop back slightly as a cool la Niña succeeds a warm el Niño phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean.
Nonetheless, “the average global temperature change for the first three months of 2016 was 1.48°C, essentially equalling the 1.5°C warming threshold agreed to by COP 21 negotiators in Paris last December,” Climate Central concluded.
