GLOBAL TEMPERATURES IN 2018 ARE SET TO BE THE FOURTH HIGHEST ON RECORD
Greenhouse gas concentrations are once again at record levels and if the current trend continues we may see temperature increases 3.5C (6.3F) by the end of the century
These are more than just numbers,’ said WMO Deputy Secretary-general Elena Manaenkova. ‘Every fraction of a degree of warming makes a difference to human health and access to food and fresh water, to the extinction of animals and plants, to the survival of coral reefs and marine life
It hopes to hold the increase in the global average temperature to below 2C (3.6F) ‘and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C (2.7F)’
Global temperatures in 2018 are set to be the fourth highest on record, the UN has said, stressing the urgent need for action to rein in runaway warming of the planet. In a report released ahead of a climate summit in Poland, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) pointed out that the 20 warmest years on record have been in the past 22 years.
It found that 2018 is on course to be the 4th warmest year on record and we’re the ‘last generation to be able to do something about it’.
The UN agency said in its provisional report that ‘the past four years - 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 - are also the four warmest years in the series’. The ‘warming trend is obvious and continuing,’ WMO Chief Petteri Taalas told reporters in Geneva.
Other tell-tale signs of climate change, including sea level r ise, ocean heat and acidification and sea-ice and glacier melt continue, whilst extreme weather left a trail of devastation on all continents.
Figures released by the WMO showed that the planet was nearly 1C (1.8F) above pre-industrial levels for the first ten months of this year.
The temperature for 2018 was recorded from five independent data sets.
If these trends continue temperatures could rise by as much as 3.5C (6.3F) by 2100, researchers warn.
The Paris Agreement, which was first signed in 2015, is an international agreement to control and limit climate change.
It hopes to hold the increase in the global average temperature to below 2C (3.6F) ‘and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C (2.7F)’. ‘We are not on track to meet climate change targets and rein in temperature increases,’ said Mr Taalas. ‘Greenhouse gas concentrations are once again at record levels and if the current trend continues we may see temperature increases 3.5C (6.3F) by the end of the century.
‘If we exploit all known fossil fuel resources, the temperature rise will be considerably higher,’ he said.
‘It is worth repeating once again that we are the first generation to fully understand climate change and the last generation to be able to do something about it,’ said Mr Taalas.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on Global Warming of 1.5C (2.7F) reported that the average global temperature for the decade 2006-2015 was 0.86C (1.54F) above the pre-industrial baseline.
The average increase above the same baseline for the most recent decade 2009-2018 was about 0.93C (1.67F)
‘These are more than just numbers,’ said WMO Deputy Secretary-general Elena Manaenkova. ‘Every fraction of a degree of warming makes a difference to human health and access to food and fresh water, to the extinction of animals and plants, to the survival of coral reefs and marine life.
‘It makes a difference to economic productivity, food security, and to the resilience of our infrastructure and cities.
‘It makes a difference to the speed of glacier melt and water supplies, and the future of low-lying islands and coastal communities. Every extra bit matters,’ said Ms Manaenkova.
The WMO report adds to the authoritative scientific evidence that will inform UN climate change negotiations at the COP24 summit from 2-14 December in Katowice, Poland.
The IPCC report on Global Warming of 1.5C (2.7F) said that this target was physically possible but would require unprecedented changes in our lifestyle, energy and transport systems.
It showed how keeping temperature increases below 2C (3.6F) would reduce the risks to human well-being, ecosystems and sustainable development.
A UK assessment published on 26 November warned summer temperatures could be up to 5.4C (9.7F) hotter and summer rainfall could decrease by up to 47 per cent by 2070. Sea levels in London could rise by 3.8ft (1.15m) by 2100.
A Swiss report on climate scenarios released on 13 November said that Switzerland is becoming hotter and drier, but will also struggle with heavier rainfall in the future and its famed ski resorts will have less snow.
It is worth repeating once again that we are the first generation to fully understand climate change and the last generation to be able to do something about it,’ said Mr Taalas