evidence: On the positive side, itâs now clear that many governments are taking concrete steps to mitigate climate change. Climate investments are increasing in both the public and private sectors, and renewable sources of energy are displacing fossil fuels at historic rates in many countries. But progress is much too slow, and by almost any measure the world is falling far short of the 1.5 Â°C goal. Greenhouse-gas emissions are at an all-time high, tropical forests are being chopped down at near-record rates, fossil-fuel subsidies are going up and coal-fired power stations are still being built. [...] At this rate, it could be less than a decade â possibly much sooner â before global warming reaches 1.5 Â°C above pre-industrial levels. Natural variations, such as the current El NiÃ±o warming in the tropical Pacific, can significantly influence temperatures in the short term. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) uses 10- and 20-year rolling averages when it calculates Earthâs surface temperature. This means there can be a long lag between the official IPCC estimate of global warming and the average temperatures in any given year. [...] Of particular interest is methane, which accounts for around 16% of total emissions. Reducing emissions of this powerful greenhouse gas is one of the only ways that nations can slow the rate of warming over the next few decades. Whatâs more, modelling scenarios for 1.5 Â°C used by the IPCC assume that humanity will do exactly that. This also means that temperatures could rise even faster than projected over the next few decades if the world fails to act on methane.