The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that according to global climate forecasts, temperatures are expected to remain at or near record levels for the next five years.
WMO and the UK’s Met Office published a joint report on temperature predictions for the upcoming five years.
“Global climate forecasts indicate that temperatures are expected to stay at or near record levels for the next five years, increasing climate risks and their impacts on society, the economy, and sustainable development. The average annual global surface temperature is projected to be 1.2 to 1.9 degrees Celsius higher each year from 2025 to 2029 compared to the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average,” the report states.
According to the report, there is an 86% probability that at least one year in the next five will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The probability that the five-year average warming from 2025 to 2029 will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius is estimated at 70%.
“Every additional degree of warming causes more damaging heatwaves, extreme rainfall, intense droughts, melting of ice sheets, sea ice, and glaciers, ocean warming, and rising sea levels,” the report adds.
The report reminds that the goal of the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is expected to be temporarily and increasingly exceeded if current global temperature trends continue.
— “We experienced the hottest decade ever recorded”
“We have experienced the hottest decade ever recorded. Unfortunately, this WMO report shows no signs of relief in the coming years, meaning increasingly negative impacts on our economies, daily lives, ecosystems, and our planet,” said Ko Barrett, Deputy Secretary-General of WMO.
She emphasized that continuous climate monitoring and forecasting is essential to provide policymakers with science-based tools and information to help them adapt to warming conditions.
