Climate experts warn world leaders 1.5C is ‘real science’, not just talking point

Scientists say keeping temperature rises to 1.5C is vital physical threshold for planet that cannot be negotiated

The 1.5C temperature limit to be discussed by world leaders at critical meetings this weekend is a vital physical threshold for the planet's climate, and not an arbitrary political construct that can be haggled over, leading climate scientists have warned.

World leaders are meeting in Rome and Glasgow over the next four days to thrash out a common approach aimed at holding global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the lower of two limits set out in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.