Why 1.5° C - the science behind the 1.5° C temperature target

In our climate podcast, Dr Doug McNeall speaks to Dr Matt Palmer on the science behind the 1.5° C temperature target. They discuss the challenges to keep the global temperature increase below 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Writing in the journal Nature ahead of COP28, a team of Met Office scientists has proposed a solution to define the current level of global warming relevant to the Paris Agreement. Climate Scientist Dr Matt Palmer is the architect of the new ‘Indicators of Global Warming’ dashboard, which complements the newly proposed indicators. The dashboard displays eight separate indicators as well as observed global mean temperature using Met Office HadCRUT5 data. The groundbreaking new tool provides real time insights on the status of our efforts to keep warming below 1.5° C. The Met Office is the United Kingdom's national weather service. Our website carries the latest UK and global weather forecasts, detailed information on weather types, climate science and UK weather records for previous months, seasons and years. www.metoffice.gov.uk