Geneva : This year is on track to be one of the four hottest years on record, driven by a powerful El Nino phenomenon, according to a United Nations report issued on Monday.
The World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) State of the Climate report showed that between January and September this year, the global average temperature was 1.47 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average and could rise further due to the El Nino phenomenon.
The report, which covers nine datasets, showed that each of the past 12 years, including 2026, ranked among the 12 warmest years on record since records began around 1850.
It noted that heat is accumulating on the planet at an increasing rate, with ocean temperatures continuing to rise this year above the record levels recorded in 2025. The global mean sea level also reached an unprecedented level this year as glaciers and ice sheets melted and seawater expanded due to rising temperatures.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said that 2026 was all but certain to become the second calendar year after 2024 to exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.
