Global average temperatures in 2015 are likely to be the warmest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). Data until the end of October showed this year’s temperatures running “well above” any previous 12 month period.
The researchers say the five year period from 2011 to 2015 was also the warmest on record.
The rise, they state, was due to a combination of a strong El Nino and human-induced global warming.
The WMO said their preliminary estimate, based on data from January to October, showed that the global average surface temperature for 2015 was 0.73 degrees C above the 1961-1990 average.
Their scientists also found that global temperatures were approximately 1 degree C above the 1880-1899 period, mirroring a recent finding by the UK Met Office
The record-breaking five year period from 2011 to 2015 was 0.57C above the average for 1961-1990.
The WMO said that levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached new highs. In the northern hemisphere, the spring of 2015 saw the three-month global average concentration of CO2 cross the 400 parts per million barrier for the first time.
“The state of the global climate in 2015 will make history for a number of reasons,” said WMO secretary-general Michel Jarraud. “2015 is likely to be the hottest year on record, with ocean surface temperatures at the highest level since measurements began. It is probable that the 1C threshold will be crossed. “This is all bad news for the planet.”
Other researchers agreed that the latest data from the WMO reinforces the view that human emissions of carbon dioxide, from burning fossil fuels, are continuing to heat the Earth beyond natural variability. “The fingerprint of a warming planet is becoming clearer in nearly every corner of the world,” said Dr Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at the University of Reading.
“Moreover, 2015 is not a one-off, as indicated by the last five years’ average also being the warmest on record.
“In the UK, our variable weather means that 2015 will not set any records for warmth, but the longer view shows UK temperatures have risen about 20% faster than the global average. We can expect this faster rate to continue in future.”