The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that temperatures are set to rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2030 and 2052 if global warming continues at its current pace.

Keeping the Earth’s temperature rise to only 1.5°C rather than the 2°C target agreed to at the Paris Agreement talks in 2015, would have “clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems,” the IPCC said on Monday in a statement announcing the release of its landmark report.

To contain warming at 1.5°C, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions would have to be cut by 45 percent by 2030 and come down to zero by 2050. Any additional emissions would require removing CO2 from the air. The report summary said renewable energy would need to supply 70-85 percent of electricity by 2050 to stay within the 1.5°C limit, compared with about 25 percent now.

 
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