The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report shows that half a degree warming will make a big and impactful difference.

As part of the historic Paris Agreement on climate change, various countries have committed to keep global temperature rises below 2˚C above pre-industrial levels and to push temperature rises below 1.5˚C. At the request of several governments, the IPCC, which consists of the world's best climate scientists, examined the differences in the effects of rising temperatures below 1.5°C and 2°C and different ways of managing emissions to achieve both temperature targets. Their findings indicate that a rise in temperature of 1.5˚C alone would have severe climate impacts on the world. Below 2˚C, the impact is much worse. Currently, world temperatures have increased by 1°C. Looking at existing trends, the world is likely to continue to produce carbon at a rate that is expected to cause a rise in temperature of 1.5˚C in 2030.