Researchers urge rethink of Paris ‘well below 2C’ target interpretation to avoid ambition drift

Published 04:21 on July 8, 2026 / Last updated at 04:21 on July 8, 2026 / Americas (LATAM & Caribbean, US & Canada), Asia Pacific (Asia, Pacific), EMEA (Africa, Europe, Middle East), International (UN Climate Talks)

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Climate researchers have proposed a new way of interpreting the Paris Agreement's commitment to keep global warming "well below 2C", arguing that the widely used practice of expressing the target as a probability of staying below the threshold could gradually weaken climate ambition as scientific uncertainty declines.
Climate researchers have proposed a new way of interpreting the Paris Agreement's commitment to keep global warming "well below 2C", arguing that the widely used practice of expressing the target as a probability of staying below the threshold could gradually weaken climate ambition as scientific uncertainty declines.


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