COP27: Fears key 1.5C global temperature goal could be compromised 

The key 1.5C target to stop climate change from raising global temperatures is now in doubt at a UN summit. 

There are concerns the 1.5C target will slip are being felt by senior figures, and a sense the Egyptian presidency is struggling to find common ground between rich and poor, leading delegates to believe the focus on 1.5C may be softened to find agreement. 

The limit is vital because temperature rises must slow down to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. They say global warming needs to be kept to 1.5C by 2100. 

The UN’s climate chief says not enough progress has been made at COP27  as ministers face an intense week of talks in Egypt. 

At last year’s Glasgow COP, all countries agreed to “keep 1.5C alive” by undertaking “rapid, deep and sustained” cuts in greenhouse gases. 

But at August’s G20 meeting in Indonesia, ministers were unable to agree on a communique on climate change, as China and India were reported to have questioned the scientific feasibility of the 1.5C threshold. 

“I have been worried that there seems to some kind of attempt to say maybe 1.5C is not achievable any more,” the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, told the Irish Times on the sidelines of this summit.

“That is not acceptable,” she said.

Mrs Robinson, who is chair of the Elders group of former political leaders, has released a statement with around 200 of the world’s largest businesses and civil society groups urging governments to align their national targets with 1.5C.

Other senior figures were also clear that whatever the difficulties in the negotiations, 1.5C must remain at the heart of the message.