Table 1. Scenarios for global warming of 1.5 °C, 2 °C, and 3 °C.

RCP	Decade	Global warming
RCP2.6	2031 ± 5 years	1.5°C
RCP8.5	2037 ± 5 years	2°C
RCP8.5	2052 ± 5 years	3°C

RCP, Representative Concentration Pathway: a greenhouse gas concentration trajectory that reflects the effect of greenhouse gases and aerosols on the energybalance of the earth. RCP2.6 aims to keep global warming below 2 °C; RCP8.5 assumes no additional mitigation efforts to reduce emissions (“business-as-usual” scenario).