Global warming to cross 1.5 degrees Celsius limit: UN

NAIROBI - Global warming is likely to surpass the 1.5-degree Celsius limit set by the Paris Agreement within the next few years, according to a report released Wednesday by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Even under the most optimistic scenario, temperature rise would peak at 1.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the report said, warning that intensified extreme weather and ecosystem loss would threaten health, food security, infrastructure and economies.

"There are no good outcomes if we remain above 1.5 degrees Celsius," said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. "Across the globe, extreme heatwaves are already proving that climate impacts will strike faster, hit harder, and last longer -- costing more lives and causing deeper disruption."

However, the report suggests that it is still possible to bring temperatures down and achieve global goals of the Paris Agreement through an "overshoot, peak and decline" pathway that would minimize peak temperature rise through immediate and sustained cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.