COP27: Can we “keep 1.5 alive”?

With the COP27 summit well under way, we address a key question: how feasible is the 1.5C goal of the Paris Climate Agreement?

• At COP26 in Glasgow, participants adopted the slogan "Keep 1.5 alive". Their aim? To restrict global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. One year on, are countries on track to achieve this?
• The short answer is, no. Emissions are continuing to rise globally and pledges to combat such emissions are not drastic enough.
• UN-backed scientists predict that the world is likely to pass the 1.5C mark in the 2030s. This month, UN Chief Antonio Guterres said the world was on a “highway to climate hell”.
• If the 1.5C goal isn’t met, it’s low-lying, sea-level nations and countries in the Global South that will be hit the hardest. “Loss and damage” reparations are a main point of discussion at COP27.
• Although the science looks bleak, there are countless reasons to strive to reduce emissions. Every fraction of a degree matters when trying to minimize the devastating impacts of climate change.
• The world has already breached 1.2C of warming. Does the 1.5C goal still make sense? The articles in this deep dive address this fundamental question.