The Reasons for Concern (RFC) framework communicates scientific understanding about risks to society and ecosystems associated with varying levels of global average warming. The framework has been a cornerstone of the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for more than 15 years and informed the establishment of goals for limiting warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees C in the recent Paris Agreement. I draw on a new review and update of the RFC's conceptual basis and the risk judgments made in the most recent IPCC report to discuss how well we understand climate-related risks, particularly at the levels of climate change targeted in the Paris Agreement.

Brian O'Neill is an NCAR Senior Scientist and leads the Integrated Assessment Modeling (IAM) group within the Terrestrial Sciences Section. He also leads NCAR's Climate and Human Systems Project, and co-chairs the Societal Dimensions Working Group of NCAR's climate model, the Community Earth System Model (CESM).

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The 2018 Cornell University Climate Change Seminar meets Monday afternoons through May 7. This university-wide seminar provides important views on the critical issue of climate change, drawing from many perspectives and disciplines. Experts from Cornell University and other universities will present an overview of the science of climate change and climate change models, the implications for agriculture, ecosystems, and food systems, and provide important economic, ethical, and policy insights on the issue.

The seminar is free and open to the Cornell and Ithaca Community at large, and most will be available as a Zoom webinar (register).

Organized and sponsored by the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions, and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.