UN-Klimakonferenz: Wetterorganisation: 2027 könnte globalen Wärmerekord brechen

The United Nations Climate Conference commenced in Antalya, Turkey, with warnings from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) about an anticipated potential record-breaking global warmth in 2027. This prediction is attributed to the amplifying effects of the natural climate phenomenon known as El Niño. Celeste Saulo, WMO's director, stated at the conference that El Niño acts as a risk enhancer, accelerating the intensification of heatwaves, tropical storms, and heavy rainfall beyond what historical baselines predict.

The WMO's latest report on climate conditions revealed that the past twelve years have all been the warmest since records began, with the last four years marking the four warmest periods ever. The global average surface temperature from January to September 2026 stood at approximately 1.47 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with an analysis range of just 0.13 degrees.

This suggests that the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees set by the Paris Climate Agreement may have already been surpassed. In 2024, this threshold was crossed.

The consequences of climate change have been devastating globally, leading to 30,000 additional heat-related deaths in Europe this year due to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. In India, over 146.5 million people faced extreme heat in April, and more than 1,300 people died as a result of a glacier break and flash flood in the Himalayas in August.

At the start of the conference, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that humanity has entered a new era of climate extremes. He emphasized that those who are least responsible for the crisis are suffering the most. Guterres urged governments to act swiftly in reducing harmful emissions, accelerating the transition away from oil, gas, and coal, and providing necessary financial and protective measures for vulnerable nations.

The global mean sea level also reached a record high this year, potentially linked to El Niño, which shifts rainfall from land to sea. This year's El Niño is the strongest since 1950 and brings with it extreme weather and rising temperatures. However, sea levels are also climbing due to climate change. The melting of glaciers worldwide contributed to a 400 gigaton increase in ice loss in 2025, raising sea levels by one millimeter.

El Niño and climate change together can create even more extreme events, according to WMO expert John Kennedy. The additional heat and moisture from these phenomena could multiply the existing risks of long-term climate change, he noted. Kennedy also pointed out that El Niño events have become more frequent in the 20th and 21st centuries, though the extent to which climate change is responsible for this trend remains a "somewhat tricky question."