GENEVA (SWITZERLAND) – The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday, this year is on track to be the second hottest on record, behind 2016.
Five data sets currently place 2020 has been a year which witnessed heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and raging hurricanes.
The Geneva-based UN agency said in its State of the Global Climate in 2020 report, “2020 is very likely to be one of the three warmest years on record globally.”
It has seen extreme heat, wildfires flared across Australia, Siberia and the United States this year, raising concerns around the globe.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a speech at Columbia University in New York that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are to be blamed.
He said, “To put it simply the state of the planet is broken,” Guterres said. “Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal.”
With more than 80% of the global ocean experiencing a marine heatwave, the WMO said signs of change were visible, and it saw a surge in marine heat to record levels.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas, calling for more efforts to cut down the emissions, “2020 has, unfortunately, been yet another extraordinary year for our climate.”
The latest WMO report said the global mean temperature was around 1.2 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 baseline between January and October this year.
Hot years have typically been connected with El Niño, a natural event that releases heat from the Pacific Ocean. However, this year coincides with La Niña which has the opposite effect and cools temperatures.
The WMO will confirm the data in March 2021.
The WMO says there is at least a one in five chance of temperatures temporarily, annually, going beyond that level by 2024.
Guterres said that last year natural disasters connected to climate change cost the world $150 billion. He called for the world leaders to align global finance behind the Paris pact, to commit to reaching net zero emissions, and to fund efforts to adapt to climate change.
