New climate report calls for reframing of global temperature targets

There is an urgent need to reframe the 1.5 Celsius temperature limits as long-term global temperature measurements are “failing” to capture the increasing rate of warming, a new Report by the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG) has indicated.

The CCAG said the inaccuracy in temperature measurements masked the true extent and risk of increasing temperature rises that had devastating impacts around the world.

The Report recommended the widening of climate targets to include greenhouse gas atmospheric levels, which served as “real time” indicators of climate change.

It also called for greater accuracy in monitoring efforts to stay below the 1.5 Celsius target and set out a pathway for nations to mitigate and limit the catastrophic impacts of climate change.

Keeping to the 1.5C threshold means by the year 2100, the world’s average surface temperature will have risen to no more than 1.5C (2.7F) warmer than pre-industrial levels.

The 1.5C threshold was established in the Paris Agreement in 2015, a treaty in which 195 nations pledged to tackle climate change.

The agreement aims to limit global warming to “well below” 2C by the end of the century, and “pursue efforts” to keep warming within the safer limit of 1.5C.

In February 2024, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed that that the 1.5C threshold of global warming had been breached for a full 12 months for the first time, bringing the world closer to breaking the commitments in the Paris Agreement in the long term.

The CCAG Report calls for greater ambition on Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets to ensure they delivered the needed resources to achieve global Net Zero by 2050.

Referencing the economic impact of climate change in Ghana, the Report said the dependency on agriculture to support the economy and livelihoods of farmers had made the country “acutely vulnerable” to the impacts of climate change.

“The heavy dependence on these sectors not only makes Ghana vulnerable to global market fluctuations but complicates its path towards sustainable development,” it says.

Dr Fatima Denton, CCAG member and Director of the United Nations University – Institute for Natural Resources in Africa, said there was a disconnect between the need to improve Ghana’s economic prospects and the threats posed by the climate crisis.

She said the situation remained under-represented in the political discourse.

“Ghana’s policy remains to balance the expansion of fossil fuel production with investment in renewable energy. Whilst Ghana has already committed to an NDC, continued investment in oil production by wealthier nations means it is not realistic for Ghana to end its reliance on fossil fuels at present. Until such time that Ghana receives sufficient loss and damage support from developed nations, its oil and gas will continue to be traded in return for economic growth as part of a diversified energy mix,” Dr Denton said.

Sir David King, Chair of CCAG, said the current trajectory of global temperature increases was “hurtling humanity towards disaster.”

“Each further incremental increase in global temperatures will bring increasing devastation. A global consensus on climate action has so far proven near-impossible to achieve, but this should not prevent countries from stepping up their own efforts.

“Every nation must put everything they can towards their NDCs, to ensure the system is as ambitious and extensive as possible, while fairly addressing the needs of developing countries,” he said.

The CCAG is an independent group of experts which reflects a wide range of academic disciplines and indigenous knowledge, comprising 16 experts from 10 nations.

It includes leading authorities in climate science, carbon emissions, energy, environment, and natural resources. Some of the members also participate in governmental advisory groups.