COP23: The 10 Science ‘Must Knows’ on Climate Change

The following is part of the news release on the Future Earth main website on 13 November 2017.

Prepared by the Earth League and Future Earth for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23), 2017.

The Paris Agreement aims to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels”. In 2016, global average surface temperature reached about 1.1 °C above pre-industrial levels, making it the warmest year on record¹. Globally averaged concentrations for carbon dioxide (CO2) reached 403.3 parts per million in 2016, up from 400.0 ppm in 2015. This is a record annual increase². The science is clear that meeting the Paris Agreement will require rapidly ridding society of fossil fuels. In addition, the world will have to safeguard and enhance existing carbon sinks, and major efforts will be needed to build societal resilience in the face of unavoidable climate change.

The following statements summarise key scientific insights relating to the Paris Agreement and economic and policy options that would help us reach these goals. These statements show that the climate challenge must be positioned in the larger context of global sustainability. With the 23rd Conference of the Parties taking place in Bonn in November, these statements are intended to provide climate negotiators, policy makers, and business leaders with an evidence-based briefing to advance solutions for a manageable climate future.

The full report can be found here.

Watch a video of a press briefing unveiling this report at the Bonn Climate Change Conference (COP23):

For more details, visit the Future Earth main website.