A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) unequivocally states that not limiting global warming will drive small-scale fisheries well below the sustainable harvesting levels required to maintain fisheries resources and food security. The Special Report on the impacts of a 1.5 °C warming above pre-industrial levels, approved by the IPCC on 6th October, extensively describes the risk to fisheries and aquaculture as a result of such an increase in temperature. Small-scale fisheries in tropical regions, the report states, are at a high risk by an increase of 1.5°C, mainly due to loss of habitat. Risks of impacts and decreasing food security become greater as warming and acidification increase, with substantial losses likely for coastal livelihoods and industries (e.g. fisheries, aquaculture) as temperatures increase beyond 1.5°C, states the report. While moderate risk to ocean food webs are projected under present-day conditions, the levels of risk would begin to rise by 1.1°C, intensifying ocean acidification, the loss of coral reefs, sea level rise, and rapid shifts in the distribution of marine species. Threats to four major species groups are highlighted: pteropods and small molluscs (important links in the food web between phytoplankton and larger species); bivalve molluscs (clams, oysters and mussels); euphausiid crustaceans (krill); and fin fishes. The impacts due to rising temperatures will vary geographically. Coral reef, mangroves and seagrass loss are projected in tropical and sub-tropical regions; the loss of bivalve species and an increase in hypoxic zones in oceans in temperate regions are likely; and there will be a temporary increase in fisheries productivity in higher latitudes due to melting glaciers and changing stock compositions. The report also highlights examples of adaptation and self-reliance, as in Alaska, where warming has already exceeded 1.5°C and indigenous communities have invested in renewable energy, greenhouses and new fishing practices to overcome loss of sea ice, flooding, and erosion. Acknowledging that small-scale fisheries often lack the capacities to adapt, the report adds that those with access to multiple gears types may be able to adapt more easily to climate-related changes in stock composition. Poor communities dependent on freshwater fish stocks, in Bangladesh, for example, will be affected due to the lack of mobility, limited access to land, and strong reliance on local ecosystems. To mitigate the risks, the report suggests several strategies, such as fisheries management and maintaining higher populations of fished species, marine spatial planning, sustainable aquaculture and the development of alternative livelihoods. The 2015 Paris Agreement sought to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2°C, while promising to pursue the 1.5°C target. During the finalization of the Agreement, countries requested the IPCC to draft a report on the impacts of a 1.5°C increase and possible ways to achieve the more ambitious target. Full report is available at: http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/ http://report.ipcc.ch/sr15/pdf/sr15_chapter3.pdf