With 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming:

• African regions experience one to three heat waves per year . Under 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, this number could more than double by 2050.
• Rising temperatures, drought, and unstable weather patterns have serious implications for African food security. Every degree of global temperature rise reduces global yields of wheat by 6.0%, rice by 3.2%, maize by 7.4%, and soybean by 3.1%. Some regions are more affected than others - for example in West Africa, wheat yields could fall by up to 25% if temperatures rise 1.5°C.
• Rising temperatures would also mean that megacities like Lagos in Nigeria will be more vulnerable to heat stress, with perhaps twice as many becoming affected by the middle of the century, meaning more than 350 million peopleexposed to potentially deadly heat.

Water shortages in vulnerable regions : The amount of freshwater available in rivers and lakes could decrease by 9% in the Mediterranean , 10% in Australia, and 7% in in north-east Brazil as a result of a 1.5°C temperature rise. Glaciers in the high mountains of Asia play an important role in the water supply of millions of people living downstream. 800 million people are at least partly dependent on meltwater from these glaciers. In a world where temperatures are limited to 1.5°C by the end of the century, around a third of the ice stored in these glaciers would be lost.

Nearly all coral reefs lost : Between 2014 and 2017, 21 of the 29 reefs listed as World Heritage Sites suffered from heat stress as a result of rising ocean temperatures. In ascenario where temperatures rise 1.5 °C by the end of the century, nine out of ten of coral reefs are at risk from severe degradation from 2050 onwards. This declines to 70% by 2100 - meaning that some coral reefs have a chance of survival. At the moment, coral reefs provide about US$30 billion annually to the world economy, in coastal protection, building materials, fisheries and tourism.

Food production suffers : Rising temperatures, drought and unstable weather patterns have serious implications for global food production. Every degree of global temperature rise reduces global yields of wheat by 6.0%, rice by 3.2%, maize by 7.4%, and soybean by 3.1%. Some regions are more affected than others - for example in West Africa, wheat yields could fall by up to 25% if temperatures rise 1.5°C. Fishing will also be affected. Every year, about 82 million tonnes of fish are caught in the sea. For every degree of warming, this could decrease by 3 million tonnes. This may be an underestimate, as it doesn't take into account the potential impact of coral reef collapse, ocean acidification or overfishing on fish populations.

Rising sea levels displace people : Climate change causes sea level rise for two reasons:because water expands as it warms, and because melting ice sheets add water to the seas. 46 million people currently live in areas that are at risk of permanent inundation from sea level rise if temperatures rise by 1.5°C,equivalent to about 70% of the numberof people currently displaced from their homes globally by war, instability or human rights violations.