There’s Already Enough Greenhouse Gas in the Air to Heat the Planet by 1.5°C
The reason why the IPCC’s new report only observed warming of 1.1°C reveals a hidden climate risk—and a powerful solution.
The major new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made headlines around the world on Monday with a dire message: climate change is here, and human choices will determine how bad it gets.
That won’t come as any to surprise to those who’ve been paying even a little bit of attention to conversations around the climate. The IPCC report’s main contribution isn’t its message, but rather the precision with which it’s delivered. The United Nations-backed scientists now know that humans have, in fact, pumped enough greenhouse gases into the air to warm the planet about 1.5°C. The majority of that warming is tied to two gases—carbon dioxide and methane—that are largely released by fossil-fuel production and use.