Latest news with #KoBarrett
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
New report predicts multiple record-breaking heatwaves within next 5 years — here's what you need to know
In 2024, we saw the warmest year on record for our planet. In fact, we've seen the 10 warmest years on record just in the last decade alone. And according to an alarming new report, we can likely expect more of the same heading into 2030. In a May 28 press release, the World Meteorological Organization revealed that global temperatures are expected to continue at or near record levels over the next five years. The WMO offered a bleak outlook on what regions all around the world can expect. As noted by the report, there is an 80% chance that at least one of the next five years will surpass 2024 as the warmest on record. Altogether, there is even a higher chance that at least one of the next five years will be more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above the average temperature set between 1850 and 1900. Although the planet has experienced periods of warming and cooling before, the incredible rate of the global temperature increase over the last few decades sets it apart from ordinary heat waves. The WMO has linked the record warmth with the presence of critical climate issues around the world. The WMO warns that this continual increase in temperatures can lead to even more extreme climate events over the next few years. "Every additional fraction of a degree of warming drives more harmful heatwaves, extreme rainfall events, intense droughts, melting of ice sheets, sea ice, and glaciers, heating of the ocean, and rising sea levels," the press release read. To make matters worse, the WMO also predicts that temperatures in the Arctic are expected to continue to increase at an ever greater rate than the global average temperature. This may contribute to the threat of catastrophic melting of polar ice sheets and glaciers. Not only will this lead to the threat of rising sea levels, but it may also greatly alter regional climate patterns and affect ecosystems and human activities. These disruptions can increase mortality and morbidity from heat exposure, respiratory illnesses, and cardiovascular diseases. Long-term heat waves can also be accompanied by periods of stagnant air, leading to increases in air pollution, especially in dense urban populations. WMO deputy secretary-general Ko Barrett emphasized the impact that rising global temperatures will have on communities. "We have just experienced the ten warmest years on record. Unfortunately, this WMO report provides no sign of respite over the coming years, and this means that there will be a growing negative impact on our economies, our daily lives, our ecosystems, and our planet," Barrett said. What's the worst thing about taking care of your yard? The time it takes How noisy it is It's too expensive I don't have a yard Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. While the looming threat of increased global temperatures can be overwhelming, many countries around the world are enacting policies to work towards a cooler future. Developed in 2015, the Paris Agreement is a "legally binding international treaty on climate change" that has been adopted by 195 countries. The Paris Agreement aims to limit the increase in the global average temperature to below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels. Ideally, the treaty continues to push efforts to limit the temperature increase to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. The agreement encourages countries to cut down on pollution while also emphasizing the importance of financial and technological advancements for developing nations to help them mitigate and adapt to the evolving climate. According to Barrett, looking ahead to the future and studying climate patterns will go a long way to combat this worldwide issue. "Continued climate monitoring and prediction is essential to provide decision-makers with science-based tools and information to help us adapt," Barrett added. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The Citizen
02-06-2025
- Science
- The Citizen
WMO's new climate forecast warns the earth is getting hotter
Earth is on track to remain hot, or get hotter, over the next five years. Planet Earth – ecology concept, global warming concept, the effect of environment climate change. Elements of this image furnished by Nasa. Picture: https: The latest global climate forecast suggests that the average global temperature is likely to continue reaching record or near-record levels over the next five years. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the global climate predictions are expected to increase climate risks and impacts on societies, economies and sustainable development. Earth getting hotter The world is on track to remain hot, or get hotter, over the next five years, according to the report released last week by the WMO. The WMO report forecasts that the annually averaged global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2025 and 2029 is predicted to be between 1.2°C and 1.9°C higher than the average over the years 1850-1900. It shows there is an 80% chance that at least one year between 2025 and 2029 will be warmer than the warmest year on record (currently 2024). And there is an 86% chance that at least one year will be more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level. The report did not give global predictions for individual years. ALSO READ: Ramaphosa finds pen and signs Climate Change Bill into law Warnings Every additional fraction of a degree of warming drives more harmful heatwaves, extreme rainfall events, intense droughts, melting of ice sheets, sea ice, and glaciers, heating of the ocean, and rising sea levels. The WMO's report – Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update for 2025-2029 – draws on forecasts from 15 international climate institutions, including the UK's Met Office, as the WMO Lead Centre for Annual to Decadal Climate Prediction. Global temperatures It provides some of the clearest near-term predictions of our warming world, and warns that global temperatures are set to remain at or near record highs for at least the next five years. 'We have just experienced the ten warmest years on record. Unfortunately, this WMO report provides no sign of respite over the coming years, and this means that there will be a growing negative impact on our economies, our daily lives, our ecosystems and our planet,' said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett. 'Continued climate monitoring and prediction is essential to provide decision-makers with science-based tools and information to help us adapt.' ALSO READ: Embracing the power of drones to revolutionise farming practices 2024 WMO's State of the Global Climate 2024 report released in March confirmed that 2024 was likely the first calendar year to be more than 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average, with a global mean near-surface temperature of 1.55 ± 0.13 °C above the 1850-1900 average. It was the warmest year in the 175-year observational record. In 2022, Professor Coleen Vogel, a climatologist with Wits University's Global Change Unit, warned about the rising temperatures. 'This is likely the warmest Earth has been in 125,000 years. It is possible that during the Last Interglacial, about 125,000 years ago, Earth has been warmer,' adding that such past periods of higher temperatures were caused by slow changes in the orbital characteristics of Earth, occurring over tens of thousands of years. Cop 30 This year's UN climate change conference, COP30, will consider updated climate action plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions which are crucial for achieving the Paris Agreement goals. Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to hold the increase in long-term global average surface temperature well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C. The scientific community has repeatedly warned that warming of more than 1.5°C risks unleashing far more severe climate change impacts and extreme weather and every fraction of a degree of warming matters. ALSO READ: Natural disasters set to increase by 37% globally by 2025 – Report
The Herald Scotland
30-05-2025
- Climate
- The Herald Scotland
Brace for years of extreme heat, UN climate report warns
"We have just experienced the ten warmest years on record," said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett, in a statement. "Unfortunately, this WMO report provides no sign of respite over the coming years, and this means that there will be a growing negative impact on our economies, our daily lives, our ecosystems and our planet." Arctic warming is also predicted to rise at more than three times the global average. "Every additional fraction of a degree of warming drives more harmful heatwaves, extreme rainfall events, intense droughts, melting of ice sheets, sea ice, and glaciers, heating of the ocean, and rising sea levels," the WMO said in a statement. Climate report by the numbers 80% chance that at least one of the next five years will exceed 2024 as the warmest on record 86% chance that at least one of next five years will be more than 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) above the 1850-1900 average 70% chance that 5-year average warming for 2025-2029 will be more than 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). Arctic warming predicted to continue to outstrip global average More people at risk 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 degrees C. From this year until the end of 2029, the mean near-surface temperature globally is forecast to be between 1.2 degrees C and 1.9 degrees C (2.2 degrees F and 3.4 degrees F) higher than pre-industrial levels of the years 1850-1900, the WMO said, adding that this would fuel more extreme weather. "With the next five years forecast to be more than 1.5 degrees C warmer than preindustrial levels on average, this will put more people than ever at risk of severe heat waves, bringing more deaths and severe health impacts unless people can be better protected from the effects of heat," Richard Betts, head of climate impacts research at the UK Met Office and a professor at the University of Exeter, told the Associated Press. "Also we can expect more severe wildfires as the hotter atmosphere dries out the landscape." Arctic warmth is soaring In the Arctic, the above-average projected warming will accelerate ice melt in the Arctic and northwest Pacific Ocean. The report said Arctic warming was predicted to be more than three-and-a-half times the global average, at 2.4 degrees C (4.3 degrees F) above the recent average temperature over the next five winters. Contributing: Reuters
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Earth's 5-year forecast is in: Brace for extreme heat
Human-caused global warming will continue to bake the Earth over the next several years, experts from the United Nations and the United Kingdom said in a May 28 report, noting that "global climate predictions show temperatures are expected to continue at or near record levels in the next five years." Specifically, there is an 80% 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 preindustrial levels, according to the report by the World Meteorological Organization, which is the U.N. weather agency, and the U.K. Met Office. 'We have just experienced the ten warmest years on record," said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett, in a statement. "Unfortunately, this WMO report provides no sign of respite over the coming years, and this means that there will be a growing negative impact on our economies, our daily lives, our ecosystems and our planet.' Arctic warming is also predicted to rise at more than three times the global average. "Every additional fraction of a degree of warming drives more harmful heatwaves, extreme rainfall events, intense droughts, melting of ice sheets, sea ice, and glaciers, heating of the ocean, and rising sea levels," the WMO said in a statement. 80% chance that at least one of the next five years will exceed 2024 as the warmest on record. 86% chance that at least one of next five years will be more than 1.5 C (2.7 F) above the 1850-1900 average. 70% chance that five-year average warming for 2025-2029 will be more than 1.5 C (2.7 F). Arctic warming predicted to continue to outstrip global average. 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 (2.2 F and 3.4 F) higher than preindustrial levels of the years 1850-1900, the WMO said, adding that this would fuel more extreme weather. 'With the next five years forecast to be more than 1.5 degrees C warmer than preindustrial levels on average, this will put more people than ever at risk of severe heat waves, bringing more deaths and severe health impacts unless people can be better protected from the effects of heat," Richard Betts, head of climate impacts research at the UK Met Office and a professor at the University of Exeter, told The Associated Press. "Also we can expect more severe wildfires as the hotter atmosphere dries out the landscape." In the Arctic, the above-average projected warming will accelerate ice melt in the Arctic and northwest Pacific Ocean. The report said Arctic warming was predicted to be more than 3½ times the global average, at 2.4 C (4.3 F) above the recent average temperature over the next five winters. Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brace for years of extreme heat, UN climate report warns
CNET
29-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
Expect Record-Breaking Global Heat in Next Five Years, Study Says
It's no secret that 2024 was hot. In fact, it was the hottest year ever recorded, with massive heat waves plowing through the US on multiple occasions. It followed up on 2023, which was also the hottest year at the time. Based on predictions, the heat is likely to get even worse over the next five years. The World Meteorological Organization published its predictions for the next five years, and report there is a roughly 80% chance that at least one of the next five years will exceed 2024 as the warmest humans have seen since recordkeeping began in 1850. "We have just experienced the 10 warmest years on record. Unfortunately, this WMO report provides no sign of respite over the coming years, and this means that there will be a growing negative impact on our economies, our daily lives, our ecosystems, and our planet," said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett. In addition, the WMO predicts a 70% chance that the average warming will be higher than 1.5°C over the next five years. This is significant because it's the long-term limit set by the Paris Agreement, indicating that climate change is getting dangerously close to exceeding the Agreement's goals. However, the UN notes that individual months or years can fluctuate due to things like El Niño/La Niña and other weather adjustments. The first calendar year period with temps exceeding the 1.5°C threshold was 2024. Arctic warming is also predicted to continue Despite the surprising growth of ice in the Arctic due to uncharacteristic snowfall in early 2025, that famously frigid part of the planet is also expected to warm even more than the rest of the globe due to a phenomenon called Arctic amplification. This is caused by bright, reflective sea ice melting, allowing the sun to better warm the darker water underneath. This has a snowball effect where the Arctic gets warmer faster as it loses more and more ice. While the global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C in 2024 and will likely do so again over the next five years, the temperatures in the Arctic are even warmer in comparison. WMO predicts that the Arctic will warm up by "three and a half times the global average" for the next five winters. The prediction continues by saying that further reduction of sea ice is probable, while weather conditions in northern regions like Alaska, northern Europe, and northern Siberia will likely be wetter than average due to warming.
