Feeling the heat: the fate of nature beyond 1.5°C of global warming

Despite raised ambitions from political and business leaders to tackle climate change, the world is not on track to prevent catastrophic damage. Current climate pledges known as nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, and net-zero targets for 2050 will not deliver the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. In fact, they are projected to lead to a temperature rise of 2.4°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.

As this report details, every fraction of a degree of additional warming can permanently damage many critical ecosystems and lead to the extinction of even more species. If we are to secure a future for some of our most iconic species and habitats, and indeed ourselves, then 2021 must be a turning point.