2026 'most likely' to be second-hottest year on record: EU monitor
The world is on track for 2026 to be the second-hottest year on record as an exceptionally strong El Niño weather pattern turbocharges human-driven global warming, the EU's climate monitor said Friday.
The European Union's climate monitor predicts that 2026 is likely to be the second hottest year on record, fueled by a powerful El Nino weather pattern amplifying human-induced global warming. While there remains a 20% chance that 2024 could surpass all previous temperature records, the Copernicus Climate Change Service stated in its monthly bulletin.
Scientists are virtually certain that global temperatures will surpass the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels during 2026. This milestone would mark the first time the world has exceeded this critical limit set by the Paris Agreement to mitigate the most severe consequences of climate change. Notably, the average temperature from 2023 to 2026 is projected to also surpass this threshold.
October 2023 marked the world's warmest month on record, with global surface air temperatures 1.75 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a period defined as 1850-1900. Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates Copernicus, noted the continuation of this extraordinary global warmth, emphasizing record-breaking global and surface ocean temperatures.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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