If global warming exceeds critical thresholds, what will the planet look like?

If global warming exceeds critical thresholds, what will the planet look like?

A recent Guardian survey of climate experts indicates that global warming is set to surpass the 1.5C goal, escalating risks of severe natural disasters.

Damian Carrington reports for The Guardian.


In short:

  • Climate scientists warn of intensifying heatwaves, floods, and storms as temperatures climb.
  • Despite low confidence in achieving the 1.5C target, experts emphasize the importance of continued efforts to mitigate climate impacts.
  • Each incremental reduction in CO2 emissions is vital in lessening human suffering.

Key quote:

"Climate change will not suddenly become dangerous at 1.5C – it already is – and it will not be ‘game over’ if we pass 2C, which we might well do."

— Peter Cox, professor at the University of Exeter

Why this matters:

The environmental repercussions of these increasingly severe weather patterns are profound. For example, heatwaves can lead to droughts that devastate crops, disrupt food supplies, and trigger wildfires. Intense storms and floods can cause catastrophic damage to infrastructure, displace communities, and contaminate freshwater supplies. These changes reshape our natural landscapes and threaten biodiversity as species struggle to adapt to rapidly changing conditions.

Extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, and floods have already shown their devastating effects on communities worldwide.

A hurricane off the coasts of Florida and Cuba.

Forecasts warn of intensifying hurricane season as NOAA faces deep budget cuts

Scientists are bracing for a dangerous 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, even as the Trump administration pushes steep cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal agency responsible for storm forecasting.

Matt Simon reports for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
Sunrise in the woods

Get our Good News newsletter

Get the best positive, solutions-oriented stories we've seen on the intersection of our health and environment, FREE every Tuesday in your inbox. Subscribe here today. Keep the change tomorrow.

The view from a barge moving down the Mississippi River toward a bridge under a partly cloudy sky.

Trump’s deregulation and FEMA cuts put Mississippi River and others at extreme risk, report warns

The Mississippi River tops this year’s list of America’s most endangered waterways, as environmental groups warn that President Trump’s sweeping deregulation and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) budget cuts are accelerating threats to rivers across the country.

Nina Lakhani reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
A bunch of baskets filled with white rice.

Climate change could make rice more toxic by boosting arsenic levels

Rice, a staple food for half the world’s population, may become increasingly toxic due to climate change, as new research finds that warming temperatures and rising carbon dioxide levels increase arsenic concentrations in the crop.

Georgina Gustin reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
The scales of justice on a table in a courtroom.

Oil companies seek legal immunity modeled on gun industry’s shield from lawsuits

A growing push by fossil fuel companies to gain liability protection echoes the gun industry's successful effort two decades ago to shield itself from lawsuits that seek accountability for public harm.

Emily Sanders reports for ExxonKnews.

Keep reading...Show less
Power plant with smoke emitting from smokestacks at sunrise

EPA plans to ease coal ash rules as industry pushes to cut costs

Coal-fired power plants may soon face weaker waste regulations, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency moves to roll back Biden-era rules aimed at preventing toxic groundwater contamination from coal ash.

Michael Phillis reports for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
Smoke billowing out of towers at a power plant

Mercury emissions crackdown delayed for dozens of coal plants

The Trump administration has granted over 60 fossil fuel power plants a two-year delay in complying with stricter federal mercury emissions rules, reversing a key piece of environmental policy set to take effect in 2027.

Dan Gearino reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Offshore wind turbines rising out of the fog.

Trump administration halts offshore wind project already under construction in New York

The Biden-approved Empire Wind project off New York’s coast has been abruptly paused by the Trump administration, putting thousands of jobs and clean energy goals in jeopardy.

Jake Spring reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

People  sitting in an outdoors table working on a big sign.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

joe biden

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.