Despite COP28 deal on fossil fuels, 1.5C goal likely out of reach
A deal for the world to transition away from fossil fuels was hailed as a historic achievement on Wednesday at the U.N. climate summit in Dubai, but there’s a good chance it won’t achieve its ultimate goal — holding global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
For months, COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber had described that 1.5C limit — first stated in the 2015 Paris Agreement — as his “North Star” or guiding principle for the summit.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate diplomacy: COP 28
The 28th Conference of the Parties on climate change is planned for Nov. 30 through Dec. 12, 2023, in Dubai.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate science
What began as a theory in the 1890s — that industrial emissions of carbon dioxide could increase global temperatures — had progressed to a scientific fact a century later. Scientists across a range of disciplines are studying the impact of the still-growing concentration of carbon dioxide and other so-called “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere as they call for industrial and governmental policies to slow, then halt, the warming of the planet.