A dramatic rise in global temperatures has put 2016 on track to be the hottest year since records began in the 19th century and close to the 1.5C of warming that the Paris climate accord was supposed to prevent.
Average temperatures in 2016 have risen to 1.2C above that which they were before the industrial revolution, as warming reached what World Meteorological Organization officials said were “very alarming” levels.
A powerful El Niño weather event helped push up temperatures in 2015 and 2016, WMO data have revealed. But underlying global warming means this year’s levels are higher than they were during the last big El Niño event in 1998. It also means 16 of the 17 hottest years on record have been this century, with the other one in 1998.