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.