Global temp could break heat record in 5 yrs: UN

The world is expected to experience more record temperatures over the next five years, with Arctic warming predicted at more than three times the global average, a new report by the UN weather agency said yesterday.

There is an 80 percent chance that at least one of the next five years will see record heat, with a high likelihood that average warming will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, according to the report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Last year, the hottest year on record, saw the first breach of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which committed countries to avoid global warming of more than 1.5 C.

From this year until the end of 2029, the mean near-surface temperature globally is forecast to be between 1.2 C and 1.9 C higher than pre-industrial levels of the years 1850-1900, the WMO said, adding that this would fuel more extreme weather.