Governance & Policy
Temperature Goal
Definition
The temperature goal is the climate objective set in Article 2.1(a) of the Paris Agreement (2015): holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 °C. The 1.5 °C figure, championed by small island states, was subsequently confirmed by the IPCC's 2018 Special Report as markedly safer than 2 °C, and has become the operative benchmark for net zero targets, NDC assessment and corporate target setting.
References
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This reference provides supporting context for how “Temperature Goal” is defined and used.
Overview
How it is used
The goal structures NDC ambition assessment, science-based target criteria, IPCC scenario classification, and climate litigation arguments about adequacy of state action.
Why it matters
The temperature goal is the world's agreed definition of climate success — the number against which everything else is measured.