“One is that **there has been a miscommunication about what our climate targets** – of 1.5°C and 2°C – **actually mean**. It is wrong to think of these as thresholds – that as soon as we pass 1.5°C, we’re toast. That’s not true. **There is nothing special about the number 1.5°C**; it’s not that things are liveable at 1.499°C and as soon as we hit 1.501°C the planet becomes unbearable. “There is a significant increase in the risk of tipping points and non-linear climate impacts once we start to get into the 1.5°C–2°C range. But **that doesn’t make 1.5°C an all-or-nothing threshold**. In fact, it makes every 0.1°C even more important once we start to move into that zone. The difference is that many climate scientists view these numbers as targets. It would be incredible to meet them, but we need to keep going even if we don’t. ([Location 376](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0C3X6X695&location=376))” --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[goal-setting]], [[climate-change]], [[climate-targets]], **Source** -- [[260103133118 - B - Not the End of the World]]