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Earth breaches 1.5 °C climate limit for the first time: what does it mean?

The threshold has been exceeded for only one year so far, but humanity is nearing the end of what many thought was a ‘safe zone’ as climate change worsens.
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  1. Jeff Tollefson
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It’s official: Earth’s average temperature climbed to more than 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels for the first time in 2024. Climate scientists announced the breach today, signalling that the world has failed, at least temporarily, to avoid crossing the threshold set by governments to avert the worst impacts of global warming. For the time being, it’s just one metric and one year, but researchers say that it nonetheless serves as a stark reminder that the world is moving into dangerous territory — perhaps more quickly than previously thought.

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Nature 637, 769-770 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00010-9

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