Science Centres: Climate

The New Zealand Climate Change Centre (NZCCC) has released its first Climate Brief, on the challenge of limiting global warming to two degrees.

It explains the scientific basis behind the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)  objective to "prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system" and provides background to the emission and concentration targets used in climate change policy designed to achieve the 2°C limit.

This is the global warming limit that the 194 countries who have ratified the UNFCCC agreed would help meet that objective.

The Brief also sets out some of the possible consequences of failing to hold warming to 2°C, and summarises the impact we might expect under a range of other warming scenarios. It closes with a look at the extent of emissions cuts needed to meet the 2°C goal, and the timelines required to achieve them. 

The Challenge of Limiting Warming to Two Degrees is available on the NZCCC website, and more details about these documents and their purpose can be found on the Climate Briefs page.