This infographic explains what the latest IPCC special report on Global Warming of 1.5°C means.

It shows why 1.5°C is the desired target and how close are we to it. But the most important point is what needs to get done and how can we get there.

 

The IPCC calls for unprecedent systemic change which won’t be easy. The report acknowledges that it’s not possible to know if a pathway for 1.5°C is possible.

There are many variables around the feasibility of staying within 1.5°C.

Environmental feasibility: availability of sufficient natural systems and resources to support the transition. Large scale afforestation and reforestation would require lots of natural resources.

Technological feasibility: the degree to which the required technologies are developed and available. Would it be technically possible to have a transition of the majority of the industrial systems that are so dependent on fossil fuels? In transportation for example, would it be possible for trucks, airplanes, and container ships to be powered by renewable energy? Would it be possible for the majority of electricity to come from power generators with net zero emissions.

Economical feasibility: the economic conditions and implications. Is the economy healthy enough to undergo such a drastic change? Would it be possible to do under the current economic system?

Socio-cultural feasibility: the implications for human behaviour and health. Are people capable of undergoing such a revolutionary transformation? Is there political will? Is there enough understanding of the risks of global warming and is there enough sense of urgency?

Institutional feasibility: governance, institutional capacity and political support. Would it be possible to quickly mobilize nations, or will they agree to disagree and remain paralyzed.

Geophysical feasibility: whether it is geophysically possible to implement large-scale afforestation consistent with 1.5°C pathways. Would it be possible to recreate or create forest on prairies, agricultural land, and deserts? Or would it be unsustainable. Would the trees be able to grow or will they perish.

IPCC report 2018 on Climate Change [Infographic]

Staying at 1.5°C is going to take monumental efforts. The world needs to quickly step up to the challenge because there is not much time left.

How nations and people react will depend on how seriously do we consider the risks and consequences of climate change.