WMO scientific officer John Kennedy said global weather is still under the influence of La Nina, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that cools surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It brings changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns.
Conditions oscillate between La Nina and its warming opposite El Nino, with neutral conditions in between.
The warmest year on record, 2024, was around 1.55C above the 1850-1900 average, and started in a strong El Nino.
Forecasts indicate neutral conditions by the middle of 2026 with a possible El Nino developing before the end of the year, said Kennedy.
If so, “then we’re likely to see maybe elevated temperatures again in 2027”, he told a press conference.
The WMO Deputy Chief Ko Barrett, said the outlook was a “dire picture”.
She said the WMO provided the evidence it sees, hoping that the information “will encourage people to take action”.
But there was “no denying” that “these indicators are not moving in a direction that provides for a lot of hope”, she said.
With war gripping the Middle East and fuel prices soaring, Guterres said the world should heed the alarm call.
“In this age of war, climate stress is also exposing another truth: our addiction to fossil fuels is destabilising both the climate and global security,” he said.
“Today’s report should come with a warning label: climate chaos is accelerating and delay is deadly,” he said.
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