Will a Global Temperature Reduction of 1.5 Degrees Celsius Be Enough To Save Us?

In 2015, lawmakers and heads of state from 195 nations around the world sat down and established something called the Paris Agreement, which was meant to help slow the effects of climate change. In the treaty, the lawmakers agreed to prevent global temperatures from increasing by more than 1.5 degree Celsius. It was believed at the time that this was a safe number that could help eliminate some of the largest threats from climate change.

However, in the years that followed the 2015 agreement, many experts began to question whether a climate goal of 1.5 degrees was even realistic, especially with additional research coming out that says that 1.5 degrees Celsius (or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) may not keep the world within the safe zone for warming temperatures.

Continue reading to learn what experts have to say about the 1.5 figure, and what could be influencing their change of heart.

A group of researchers painted a scary picture in a study published on May 20, 2025, in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, where they said that 1.5 degrees won't be enough to prevent ice sheets and polar ice caps from melting.

Instead, they say that this temperature increase will cause a melting event that will lead to life changing flooding. That's because the ice sheets that are located in the Antarctic and Greenland hold enough water to cause catastrophic flooding.

According to the study, this could amount to sea level increases that could be as high as 213 feet. To put that in perspective, CNN says that approximately 230 million people live in areas that are just 3.2 feet above sea level. Which means that even slight changes in sea levels can pose a threat to massive populations of people, turning them into climate refugees, and pushing them further inland for survival.

When it comes to the speed at which these changes will take place, the study's authors say that we're looking at initial increases of .4 inches a year by the end of the century, which will equal 40 inches (or 3.33 feet) by then end of the century, amounting to more than enough to send those millions of people in search of safety at higher elevations.

While this study obviously paints a scary picture, the United Nations says that humans can still reach that 1.5 degrees Celsius goal, which will have a measurable impact on the effects of climate change.

“Our planet is issuing more distress signals — but this report shows that limiting long-term global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is still possible," António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, said in a statement before urging leaders to double down on their promises to work towards the figure.

Of course, if we want to reach these goals we'll have to come together to do so, which feels like an insurmountable task in a political system where many of the world leaders seem to be at odds.

Hopefully they can put their differences aside and join together to make the changes that the world needs to see in order to achieve the 1.5 goal before the turn of the century.