CIEL Statement on IPCC Special Report on 1.5C

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) emphasizes that the IPCC Special Report on 1.5C confirms the necessity of limiting global warming to 1.5C to avoid irreversible impacts on ecosystems and human communities. CIEL argues that the difference between 1.5C and 2C of warming will be measured in human lives and rights, particularly for marginalized populations. To achieve the 1.5C goal, CIEL highlights the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half by 2030 and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through a complete economic transformation away from fossil fuels. Furthermore, CIEL rejects 'overshoot and return' scenarios that rely on hypothetical carbon dioxide removal, labeling such strategies as dangerous and immoral.

• Limiting global temperature increase to below 1.5C is essential to significantly lower the risk of irreversible damage to species, ecosystems, and global communities.
• To maintain a chance of avoiding the most catastrophic climate impacts, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by nearly 50% by 2030, with net zero carbon emissions achieved by 2050 at the latest. This requires a total economic shift from fossil fuels to clean energy and the restoration of natural ecosystems.
• The impacts of climate change fall disproportionately on vulnerable, marginalized, and poor populations, making the gap between 1.5C and 2C of warming a matter of human rights and survival.
• Strategies based on 'business-as-usual' that rely on hypothetical carbon dioxide removal to correct a temperature overshoot are considered immoral and unacceptably dangerous.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2018). CIEL Statement on IPCC Special Report on 1.5C. https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-statement-on-ipcc-special-report-on-1-5c/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. CIEL Statement on IPCC Special Report on 1.5C. 2018. https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-statement-on-ipcc-special-report-on-1-5c/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=CIEL Statement on IPCC Special Report on 1.5C |date=8 October 2018 |url=https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-statement-on-ipcc-special-report-on-1-5c/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2018ciel, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{CIEL Statement on IPCC Special Report on 1.5C}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-statement-on-ipcc-special-report-on-1-5c/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }