"The U.N.'s panel of climate scientists agreed on Thursday to study how to limit global warming to the toughest target suggested by world leaders, saying even small rises in temperatures could be harmful.

The panel would look into ways to restrict the rise in temperatures to 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times after a 195-nation summit in Paris agreed in December to try and phase out net greenhouse gas emissions this century.

Hoesung Lee, chair of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said there were "serious risks" with even minor rises in temperatures from current levels, for instance to coral reefs and to coasts from rising sea levels."

Alister Doyle reports for Reuters April 14, 2016. [2]