“In the first nine months of 2015, global ocean heat content through both the upper 700 metres and 2,000 metres of the oceans hit record highs”, WMO said in a statement.
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This year’s record is down to a combination of rising greenhouse gases and a boost from the strong El Niño underway in the Pacific, says the WMO.
(Saurabh Das/AP) Africa and Europe are experiencing their second hottest year.
Man-made global warming and a strong “El Nino” phenomenon in the Pacific, which pushes up temperatures, mean 2015 has had the hottest January to October since records began. We have the knowledge and the tools to act.
“After a warm January to September, Argentina experienced its coldest October on record”.
“Also, 2015 isn’t a one off, as suggested by the past five years’ average additionally being the warmest on record”.
The three-month average Carbon dioxide concentration in the world reached the 400 parts per million (ppm) threshold for the first time during this year’s spring.
Alarmingly, WMO said the global average surface temperature would this year pass “the symbolic and significant milestone” of 1ºC above the pre-industrial era.
The U.N. agency, NOAA, NASA and Japan’s weather agency all say 2014 is the current record hot year with a global temperature of 14.57 degrees Celsius, 58.23 degrees F.
“Eastern areas of north America were colder than average during the year, but none were record cold”. Future generations will not’.
The report comes as world leaders are set to meet for a climate change summit in Paris, where they will work to keep global temperature increases within 2 degrees Celsius (or 3.6 Fahrenheit) beyond pre-industrial times, a target set in 2010 to try to prevent harmful climate change. The temperature was more than 1 C consistent having a powerful El Nino.
“Next year is likely to be warm again because, when you have an El Nino, statistically, the impact of the El Nino is not only on this side of the El Nino, but it has also an impact over the next four, five, six months, which itself will influence the temperatures next year”, Jarraud told a Geneva news conference.
Heatwaves rocked India and Pakistan in May and June, killing thousands as temperatures topped 40C.
This year won’t break 2014′s record as the UK’s hottest year, but “over longer timescales Britain is warming up 20% faster than the global average”, according to Dr Ed Hawkins, climate scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science.
“Unfortunately, the news [is] not good”, said Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
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He adds how extreme weather events will now become more prevalent like heatwaves.
