According to new data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), it looks increasingly unlikely humankind will meet the targets set out by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and slow the planet’s crash course toward a climate disaster. 

Earth’s average global temperature is already over 1°C (1.8°F) above the pre-industrial period and the last 5 years have been the warmest on record. There is a 20% chance that one of the next 5 years will be at least 1.5°C (2.7°F) warmer than pre-industrial levels, and that chance is increasing with time. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change argued that Earth’s temperatures need to be kept “well below” a 2°C increase, but the world should pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. 

Now, it appears we may hit this limit within the next several years. 

Read more from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) press release here.