Climate Alert: Scientists now say this worst-case climate scenario is ‘implausible.’ Here’s what retiring it would mean.

A U.N. panel on climate change seems poised to retire RCP 8.5, a scenario in which the world does nothing to curb planet-warming emissions, in its projections. Some on the right, including President Donald Trump, are now suggesting the move shows that global warming does not pose a significant threat. Many climate scientists, however, say the reality is more nuanced. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for alerts Climate Alert May 19, 2:37 p.m. EDT Scientists now say this worst-case climate scenario is ‘implausible.’ Here’s what retiring it would mean. A U.N. panel on climate change seems poised to retire RCP 8.5, a scenario in which the world does nothing to curb planet-warming emissions, in its projections. Some on the right, including President Donald Trump, are now suggesting the move shows that global warming does not pose a significant threat. Many climate scientists, however, say the reality is more nuanced. Read more   Advertisement

Manage my email newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Help You received this email because you signed up for news alerts or because it is included in your subscription. ©2026 The Washington Post | 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071