The world will exceed 1.5 degrees of warming within years, a United Nations report has found, exposing communities to more extreme heatwaves, cyclones, floods, fires and rising sea levels.
Even the most optimistic scenario forecasts global warming to peak at 1.8 degrees above pre-industrial levels, raising the risk of irreversible environmental harm and leaving island nations vulnerable to submersion.
The United Nations Environment Programme issued the warning in a major report on Wednesday, which urged governments to accelerate emission cuts and carbon removal to plot a return to lower temperatures.
The report comes as leaders meet at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau to discuss climate conditions affecting the region, and weeks before world representatives attend a pre-COP event in Fiji and Tuvalu.
Environmental groups called the findings terrifying, and said they should sound a worldwide warning for policymakers to reconsider additional coal, oil and gas projects.
