The projected effect on insects, vertebrates, and plants of limiting global warming to 1.5°C rather than 2°C

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Warren, R.;Price, J.;Graham, E.;Forstenhaeusler, N.;VanDerWal, J.
Abstract

In the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the United Nations is pursuing efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C, whereas earlier aspirations focused on a 2°C limit. With current pledges, corresponding to ~3.2°C warming, climatically determined geographic range losses of >50% are projected in ~49% of insects, 44% of plants, and 26% of vertebrates. At 2°C, this falls to 18% of insects, 16% of plants, and 8% of vertebrates and at 1.5°C, to 6% of insects, 8% of plants, and 4% of vertebrates. When warming is limited to 1.5°C as compared with 2°C, numbers of species projected to lose >50% of their range are reduced by ~66% in insects and by ~50% in plants and vertebrates.

Journal

Science

Publication Name

N/A

Volume

360

ISBN/ISSN

1095-9203

Edition

N/A

Issue

6390

Pages Count

6

Location

N/A

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Publisher Url

N/A

Publisher Location

N/A

Publish Date

N/A

Url

N/A

Date

N/A

EISSN

N/A

DOI

10.1126/science.aar3646