What are the implications for policy and adaptation of sustained warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and when will this occur?
Recent assessments from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indicate that the world is approaching 1.5°C of global mean surface temperature warming faster than previously anticipated.
Individual years above 1.5°C of warming have already occurred, and there is now a high probability that temporary exceedances will become increasingly common during the remainder of this decade (table 1). The focus of climate science is shifting from asking whether 1.5°C will be exceeded to: