Factsheet 2/2009
Climate change: Why 2°C?

German Advisory Council on Global Change
WBGU, Berlin

You can order a free copy here.

The effects of climate change are already noticeable in every part of the world, and they will increase further. These changes entail serious risks for our societies. Humankind now has only a small time window in which to meet the challenge of climate change and take steps to limit the global rise in temperature to a maximum of 2°C. In its latest special report, “The budget approach” (2009), WBGU demonstrates that global warming must not exceed the 2°C guard rail if dangerous climate change is to be avoided.