UKSBS OJEU CR16131BEIS The implications of global warming of 1.5°C and 2°C

In Paris last year, 195 countries agreed to "hold the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C" (herein referred to as "the global temperature goal"). The UK would like to understand the different ways "well-below" 2°C can be interpreted, the implications of achieving the global temperature goal, and what this would mean for a national "net zero greenhouse gas emissions" goal. This short programme of interdisciplinary research specifically aims to improve understanding of the implications of an increase in global temperature of 1.5°C and 2°C relative to pre-industrial levels to inform UK and international climate policy. It will seek to fill existing knowledge gaps on the environmental, economic and societal impacts and risks of both the resulting climate change and the mitigation actions needed to achieve the global temperature goal of the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It also aims to clearly communicate these findings to policymakers through direct engagement and through a contribution to a special report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This programme of work will comprise a set of complementary, interdisciplinary projects that will enable policymakers to understand the implications of the global temperature goal in a holistic, integrated manner. It will build on existing work including the AVOID2 programme , and complement the joint NERC-BEIS-funded programme on "Understanding the pathways to and impacts of a 1.5°C rise in global temperature" by focusing on the socio-economic and technological aspects of the global temperature goal, and other related on-going projects. BEIS is seeking to fill key evidence gaps in relation to understanding of the global and regional implications of increases in global mean temperature of 1.5°C and 2°C through an integrated approach to take into consideration the broader context of other societal priorities, such as food and water security, sustainable development, environmental protection. The purpose is to build a more complete picture of both the impacts of resulting climate change on the environment and society and the impacts of mitigation strategies to limit temperature rise to well-below 2°C and 1.5°C.