Paris Agreement temperature goal

In one line: Article 2 of the Paris Agreement (2015) aims to hold warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.

What the goal means

The baseline is the pre-industrial period, usually 1850 to 1900. The goal refers to long-term global warming, averaged over decades, not to the temperature of one year. So 2024, the first calendar year above 1.5°C, was a warning rather than a formal breach.

How countries act on it

Each country submits a nationally determined contribution (NDC), its own plan to cut emissions. The goal is collective; there is no binding national temperature quota.

Why it is in the news

UNEP's Limiting Overshoot report says exceeding 1.5°C is now widely assessed as unavoidable, but Inger Andersen stressed that 1.5°C remains the goal.

Where to go next

• Net zero and net-negative emissions
• Climate tipping points