Projections of Future Changes in Climate 
Temperatures
Over the course of the 21st century, many impacts are projected in a range of natural systems. The 2013 IPCC Summary for Policy Makers from the Working Group 1 report includes several graphs and projections featured in this lesson.
The IPCC states that continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. The magnitudes of the projected changes will be substantially affected by the choice of emissions scenario.
Below are projected changes in average global temperature associated with each of the 4 Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) featured in the 5th IPCC report (AR5). Note that we are committed to a certain warming, and recall the COP 15 call to "to hold the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius" which would be similar to RCP4.5.
The IPCC concludes that global surface temperature change for the end of the 21st century is likely to exceed 2.0 degrees Celsius relative to 1850 to 1900 for RCP6.0 and RCP8.5, and more likely than not to exceed 2.0 degrees Celsius for RCP4.5. Warming will continue beyond 2100 under all RCP scenarios except RCP2.6. Warming will continue to exhibit interannual-to-decadal variability and will not be regionally uniform.
Under all RCP's, the Northern Hemisphere is projected to warm more than the Southern Hemisphere. Graphical display of RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 projections are shown below.
