An increase of 1.5 degrees in global temperatures before 2040 will cause heatwaves, severe droughts and floods, according to a UN report on climate change.
The IPCC study shows that climate change is already causing dangerous and widespread disruption to the natural world.
If global warming continues, 183 million people are projected to go hungry by 2050, according to the report.
The report contains the most up-to-date scientific knowledge on climate change to inform governments on specific actions to combat global warming, with UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres saying nearly half of humanity is living in danger.
Climatologist, Professor John Sweeney says the Irish government has accepted the conclusions of this report:
"The results have been signed off by 200 governments, and that includes the Government of Ireland.
"So they are accepting the concussions of this report, it has been gone through line-by-line by Irish Government representatives."
He continued: "It has been debated quite hotly by some countries who don't want this kind of report to alarm governments, most notably Russia."
The IPCC study says the impacts of climate change are already causing severe and widespread disruption around the world.
Senior communications officer with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ian Brunswick, says its own report shows most Irish people are concerned about climate change:
"For the fourth year in a row, climate change is seen as the most pressing environmental issue... 86% of people say that the environment is a valuable asset to the people of Ireland, and 73% have taken steps to help the environment in the past year."
