It's unlikely, but not impossible, to limit global warming to 1.5 Celsius, study finds

Hurricane Otis devastated the Mexican city of Acapulco, after rapidly intensifying over abnormally warm ocean water. A new study finds it is unlikely that humans will successfully limit average global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the lower target set by the 2015 Paris agreement. (Marco Ugarte/AP)

It is unlikely, but not impossible, for humans to hit the lower temperature target set by the landmark 2015 Paris agreement, according to new research conducted by an international group of scientists.

The most catastrophic effects of climate change, such as mass extinction and catastrophic sea level rise, kick in more aggressively if temperatures rise above the Paris agreement targets. The findings are a reminder that, although renewable energy use is increasing, humans are still deeply reliant on fossil fuels and are pumping enormous quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere each year.