Study: CO2 budget for 1.5 degrees lower than assumed

The global community can only emit 250 gigatons of CO2 to meet the 1.5-degree target agreed in Paris in 2015 with a probability of 50 percent. That is the conclusion of a study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change. In its sixth assessment report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assumed a remaining budget of 500 gigatons. According to the new calculations, net zero emissions would have to be achieved in 2035 – with continuous emission reductions.