health
World almost certain to endure record hot year by 2030, UN warns
Global temperature record could be broken as soon as 2027, with El Niño expected later this year
TL;DR
- A record-breaking hot year is almost certain by 2030, according to the UN's World Meteorological Organization.
- An El Niño event expected later this year could cause the global temperature record to fall as soon as 2027.
- Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are rising, trapping more heat and driving extreme weather.
- Global heating is estimated to take one life every minute, a toll likely to rise unless emissions fall rapidly.
- There is an 86% chance that at least one year between 2026 and 2030 will be the hottest ever recorded.
- A 75% chance exists that the average temperature for 2026-2030 will be more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
- Urgent action is needed to kick the fossil fuel addiction, as clean power is now cheaper and faster than fossil fuels.
- Warming above 1.5C risks more severe heatwaves, droughts, storms, and floods.
- The Paris Agreement's 1.5C goal is unlikely to be met, but the 2C target remains achievable with urgent action.
- An El Niño event increases the chances of 2027 being a record-breaking year.
- The Arctic is heating up more than three times faster than the global average.
- Rainfall predictions suggest northern Europe, the Sahel, Alaska, and Siberia will be wetter, while the Amazon will be drier over the next five years.