In order to limit global warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot, it is necessary to greatly reduce current CO2 emissions to a much lower level by the year 2030. About half of the research on available pathways indicate that CO2 emissions have to be quickly reduced from present rates and must be in the range of 25-30 GtCO2 equivalent per year by 2030 in order to ultimately meet the target of 1.5°C global warming. This amount of CO2 reduction is about 40-50% of 2010 CO2 levels.

It is theoretically possible to meet the 1.5°C target, even after overshooting 1.5°C, by using carbon dioxide removal (CDR) techniques. However, this does not allow much leeway in the amount of overshoot. It is estimated that an overshoot as small as 0.2° beyond the 1.5°C target might require CDR measures that would not be achievable, considering implementation challenges. These challenges include cost escalation, lock-in in carbon emitting infrastructure, stranded assets, and reduced flexibility in future response options.

Sustainable development balances economic prosperity, social well-being, and environmental protection. There are links between sustainable development and climate change impacts and responses. A useful framework for assessing the ties between sustainability and climate change is the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The array of SDGs include poverty eradication, reducing inequalities and climate action.

Another link is between climate action in the context of sustainability and ethics and equity. This link can address the distribution of adverse impacts from climate change for poor and disadvantaged people.

Adaptation options can work in concert with sustainable development to provide synergistic benefits in the course of achieving a limit of 1.5°C global warming.
Some of these benefits are:

• reducing vulnerability of human and natural systems to climate change
• ensuring food and water security
• reducing disaster risks
• improving health conditions
• maintaining ecosystem services
• reducing poverty and inequality

Some adaptation steps are "trade-offs", with a negative effect in concert with the intended positive effect in the implementation of the adaptation.
Some of these trade-offs are:

• increase greenhouse gas emissions
• increase water use
• increase gender and social inequality
• undermine health security
• encroach on natural ecosystems

Finally, adaptation can work in concert with mitigation options, especially when supported by national levels of government, to enable rapid, sustainable development in both urban and rural areas.

Mitigation is a process used in addressing climate change that limits or reduces the amount of greenhouse gases(GHGs) emitted in the course of burning fossil fuels. Mitigation can take several forms, but the ultimate effect is to significantly reduce the emission of CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and other GHGs.

When considered in the context of sustainable development, mitigation, like adaptation, can have both synergistic (positive) or trade-off (negative) effects on the human and natural surroundings where it is applied. Also like adaptation, the sustainability effects of mitigation can be assessed using the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A list of SDGs can be found here

In order to make adaptation and mitigation measures feasible, it is necessary to develop system transition measures that facilitate the shift from past styles of energy use to those designed to limit and control global warming. To a large extent such measures include:

• financial investments directed toward limiting global warming
• adequate governmental policy tools
• technological innovation
• general public education

Climate-resilient development pathways are societal level approaches that use adaptation and mitigation measures to implement sustainable development changes that limit global warming. They include measures to eradicate poverty and provide an ethical and equitable context for making the necessary changes.

International cooperation is highly useful in implementing measures to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Such cooperation can be especially enabling in developing countries and vulnerable regions.