In 2015, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) accepted the challenge to release a special report on the impacts of 1.5°C global warming as part of the global commitment in adopting the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature.

Earlier this year, the world’s leading climate experts released the Special Report containing the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C and the comparison between 1.5°C and 2°C above pre-industrial levels. According to the Report, we only have 12 years to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C, or else any rate beyond that will cause major increase of risks to disaster and devastation for people across the globe.

The report says although sea level will keep on rising beyond 2100, it can be limited to an estimate of 0.1 meter lower by that year with global warming 0f 1.5°C compared to 2°C.

Impacts on biodiversity and terrestrial, freshwater and coastal ecosystems are also seen to be lessened when the target is reached. For example, of the 105,000 species studied, 18% of insects, 16% of plants and 8% of vertebrates will likely lose over half of their climatically determined geographic range with a global warming of 2°c. However, with the set goal, this could be reduced to 6%, 8% and 4% respectively.

In order to achieve this goal, immediate and unprecedented shift individually and institutionally must be made. See the full IPCC report here.