UN report puts 2026 among the hottest years on record
The average global temperature for January to September this year was 1.47 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a UN climate report said ahead of the COP31 climate talks opening in Turkey.
The report warned that a strong El Nino event could push temperatures higher still in the coming months, and noted that each of the last 12 years now ranks among the 12 warmest recorded since measurements began around 1850.
This year is set to become only the second year after 2024 in which average warming exceeded the 1.5-degree threshold that governments pledged to defend under the Paris Agreement.
The report also found sea levels at record highs and ocean heat content warming beyond last year's peaks, trends scientists attribute to the continued build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Delegates gathering for the COP31 conference, which runs to November 20, are expected to face calls to strengthen national climate pledges in light of the findings.
