Last three years have been hottest on record

The past three years were the hottest on record, the United Nations weather agency said yesterday, citing fresh global data underscoring the dramatic warming of the planet.

Data from five leading weather agencies showed that “2015, 2016 and 2017 have been confirmed as the three warmest years on record”, the World Meteorological Organisation said.

It added that 2016 remained the hottest year ever measured, due to the warming effect of El Nino, while 2017 was the warmest non-el Nino year, beating out 2015 by less than one hundredth of a degree. The 21st century had accounted for 17 of the 18 warmest years on record, it said.