Last updated: 7 min
What does exceeding 1.5 °C really mean?
A single year above the threshold is not yet the same as exceeding the Paris Agreement goal. But it is an important signal.
Solid evidence
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In Depth
Climate and environment
A system that is changing
Climate is not an isolated problem. Atmosphere, oceans, ice, forests, biodiversity and water availability are part of interconnected systems. Understanding these relationships helps distinguish what we know with reasonable confidence, what is still uncertain and what options we have for taking action.
Planned topics
List of the topics this area covers. Content is published progressively, and each in-depth article indicates its sources and update date.
- Climate change
- Extreme events
- Climate feedbacks
- Oceans and ice
- Biodiversity and ecosystems
- Water, soil and desertification
Published in-depth articles
Reading levels
In Brief
about 2–3 minutes
In Depth
full article
Sources and data
documentation and references
Questions still open
- Which thresholds of the climate system are still incompletely understood?
- How do local effects and global trends combine with each other?
Related areas
The connections indicate possible mutual influences, not automatic cause-and-effect relationships.