The United Nations climate change conference, COP29, runs through Nov. 22 in Baku.
Photographer: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images
The 1.5C Climate Goal Is Dead. Why Is COP29 Still Talking About It?
Politicians and green advocates want to keep the focus on limiting global warming to 1.5C, even though scientists say the planet is already on track to soon breach the target.
The battle to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius has been a rallying cry for climate action for nearly a decade. Now, with the planet almost certain to blow past the target, diplomats and campaigners at the COP29 summit have found themselves awkwardly clinging to a goal that no longer makes sense.
The evidence has become harder and harder to ignore. This year will once again be the hottest on record as greenhouse gas emissions continue to soar and Earth will likely register an average reading of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. A study released this month using a new technique for measuring the rise in temperatures suggests the world was already 1.49C hotter at the end of 2023.