Acceleration of global warming 'code red' for humanity

Chart showing increase in global temperatures, in degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels (1850-1900) based on five scenarios

We ignored the warnings, and now it's too late: global heating has arrived with a vengeance and will see Earth's average temperature reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels around 2030, a decade earlier than projected only three years ago, according to a landmark UN assessment published on Monday. 

The IPCC projected the increase in global surface temperature for five emissions scenarios -- ranging from wildly optimistic to outright reckless -- and identifies best estimates for 20-year periods with mid-points of 2030, 2050 and 2090. 

Originally published as Acceleration of global warming 'code red' for humanity