The World Agrees to Limiting Global Warming

In 2015, the world agreed to mobilize efforts to prevent the Earth's average temperature from rising by more than 1.5°C. This target was based on the consideration that global warming up to 2°C could lead to permanent disasters, making it imperative to keep the Earth's temperature well below that figure.

In the Paris Agreement, almost every country in the world acknowledged that the increase in Earth's temperature must be well below 2°C to avoid extensive and permanent catastrophes. They committed to controlling global warming so that it does not exceed 1.5°C.

The Paris Agreement, which has so far been signed by 195 countries, also obligates these nations to declare their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), which are the targets and plans of each country to reduce pollution that causes global warming, known as greenhouse gas emissions.

Indonesia itself is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 31.89% through its own efforts and up to 43.2% with international assistance.

The targets set in the Paris Agreement are crucial because the Earth's ecosystems are highly sensitive to even small temperature changes. A temperature increase of 1.5°C will have significantly different consequences compared to 2°C, which would magnify the climate crisis's impacts.

For example, if the Earth's temperature rises by 1.5°C, it's estimated that 350 million people will face water scarcity by 2100. If the temperature rises by an additional 0.5°C, that number will increase by another 60 million.

Unfortunately, the world has not yet met these targets. The United Nations estimates that existing efforts are still on track for a temperature increase of 2.8°C by the end of this century.